American Airlines has launched Flagship Cellars, a wine delivery service that brings its onboard wine menu to your doorstep. You can order from American Airlines’ Flagship wine program, usually reserved for business and first-class travelers, and enjoy premium wines hand-picked by the airline’s master sommelier.
Flagship Cellars – award-winning wines to your door
Flagship Cellars will bring a taste of American’s acclaimed Flagship wine program straight to your door. This represents the first time a U.S-carrier has offered its onboard wine menu outside of its premium cabins. With premium wines from prestigious vineyards across the world, Flagship Cellars is ‘a wine passport to the world with flexible wine subscriptions or build-your-own case options.’
American Airlines takes its wine program very seriously. The airline has a track record of excellence in viticulture, winning more Global Traveler Wines on the Wing awards than any other U.S airline. Its process for selecting wines is meticulous – over 2,000 wines are reviewed each year before a select few are chosen for American’s onboard and lounge menus. According to American Airlines,
“Every 3 months, the wine experts identify top selections based on their notes and historical data on what has been most popular with customers around the world. The team meets with its award-winning master sommelier to blind taste wines before presenting final options to a variety of American team members.”
How the Flagship Cellars service works
Wine connoisseurs will be able to order from Flagship Cellars online, with a variety of options available to customers:
- Curated collection of mixed wines
- Build your own custom box
- Monthly subscription of 3 bottles for $99.99 inc. delivery
Available wines are hand-picked from American’s Flagship collection, which is also served in airport lounges and business/first-class cabins. Customers will need to be at least 21 years of age. Members of American Airlines’ loyalty program, AAdvantage, can also earn two miles for every dollar spent. Finally, an introductory offer will give customers a complimentary bottle of wine for their first order.
A luxury experience without flying
With air travel, especially long-haul international flying, still a long way from returning to pre-COVID levels, airlines are becoming increasingly creative in reaching out to travelers. Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer, said in a statement,
“We created Flagship Cellars to provide more opportunities for customers to enjoy our Flagship wine even if they aren’t flying in one of our premium cabins.”
Ventures by other airlines have shown that the public is still very passionate about all things aviation, despite not being able to set foot on a plane. After Qantas retired the last of its aging 747 fleet, it decided to auction off its bar carts to raise a bit of extra cash. Within minutes, every cart (fully-stocked with drinks and snacks) had been sold.
EasyJet trialed its own front-door service over Christmas, with uniformed cabin crew serving drinks and refreshments to give people a little taste of the authentic flying experience.
Do you plan to order from the Flagship Cellars menu? Let us know in the comments.
