Air Canada Will “Permanently” Offer Complimentary Beer And Wine On USA Flights

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Air Canada will make “permanent” its offering of complimentary beer and wine in economy class on domestic Canadian flights and flights between the USA and Canada.

Complimentary Beer And Wine In Economy Class Now A Permanent Feature Of Domestic + Transborder Air Canada Flights

Earlier this year I wrote about Air Canada’s menu refresh, with new entrees, tea, and alcoholic beverages onboard. At the time, as a temporary initiative, Air Canada rolled out free beer and wine in its economy class cabins on flights within Canada and between Canada and the United States.

This week, Air Canada announced that this change was permanent…that complimentary beer and wine are now  “a permanent offering for those flying in economy on flights in Canada and to the United States.”

The move is an important competitive response to Porter’s full-service model that includes not only free beer and wine, but serving that beer and wine in “real” glass cups (versus plastic or paper) in economy class.

I commend Air Canada for investing in the customer experience and as much as Canadians rue the “monoplitistc” carrier with the Maple Leaf on its tail, Air Canada offers an excellent in-flight product (with free wi-fi coming in 2025) and a very valuable and competitive loyalty program, Aeroplan.

My favorite feature of the Air Canada buy-onboard menu is that you can purchase leftover business class meals in economy class. I’d love to see the option to pre-order this (like on SAS) and I would pay a premium to do so…I’d love to see this on US carriers as well.

Finally, if you are traveling this week on Air Canada, look for complimentary snacks and drinks in Canadian airports in the Air Canada gate area, a holiday gift from AC.

CONCLUSION

Air Canada is making permanent its offering of free beer and wine on transborder and domestic flights. In addition, it is offering a wide selection of other alcohol for sale. As always, please drink responsibly, lest you end up on this blog in a less flattering headline…

images: Air Canada