A major airline has a pleasant surprise in store for those who love to enjoy… a glass of wine during the flight. Starting this fall, Air Canada will serve free beer, wine and snacks to economy class passengers, not just on long-haul flights but also throughout its network of destinations.
With this decision, the airline, based in Montreal, becomes the only “traditional” carrier in North America to offer free drinks on all routes.
American’s competitors, Delta and United, continue to serve alcohol only on long-haul flights, while low-cost carriers such as Spirit or JetBlue apply charges.
A glass of… good cheer in the air
Food and drink have a disproportionate impact on the passenger experience, Air Canada’s vice president of product, Scott O’Leary, told Reuters. In fact, he said, offering free drinks is more satisfying than a reduction in baggage fees.
The new menu will emphasize Canadian products, such as oat bars on morning flights and on flights from Toronto after 10:30 a.m., ginger ale from a local producer will be offered.
The airline will also be the only one in North America to serve non-alcoholic beer.
The other side of the… glass
However, alcohol on flights also has its dark side. It may act as a stress reliever for some passengers, but it has also become a focus of discussion and a reason for bad behavior.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has seen a steady increase in incidents of passengers causing disruption on flights, from one in 1,053 flights in 2017 to one in 480 flights in 2023. More than a quarter of these incidents were related to alcohol consumption before boarding.
In September, a Ryanair flight from London to Alicante was diverted due to drunk passengers behaving violently. A few weeks earlier, an easyJet flight from Malaga was cancelled after an incident involving drunk passengers during the boarding process.
In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded more than 2,100 reports of unruly passengers in 2024, some of which were referred for possible criminal prosecution.
How airlines are responding
The FAA has been implementing a “Zero Tolerance” policy for such incidents since 2021, imposing fines of up to €31,500 for those who consume alcohol during a flight.
In Europe, Jet2 prohibits the sale of alcohol before 8am, while Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has proposed a two-drink limit per passenger at airports.
Meanwhile, a YouGov survey shows that 62% of Britons support restrictions on alcohol consumption before flights, although most airports in the UK continue to serve drinks from 5am.
