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
Celebrities who threatened to flee to Canada if Camel-a lost demanded the free wine . Then they chickened out .
I scouted out Vancouver the last couple of days as a possible escape route from Mango Mussolini, Hillbilly Bear, and Majority Leader Zoomer. I will carry on the flight from north of the border if need be. And if it turns to weapons, you trailer trash MAGA rednecks will soon discover that us liberal Democrats have Second Amendment rights too.
Does this also apply to Air Canada Rouge flights?
No, mainline.
I don’t see it lasting long term because that sounds extremely expensive.Especially when you have airlines like Lufthansa saying they can’t afford to serve coffee to economy passengers for short haul.
Canadians in general tend to drink an insane amount asking for 2-3 drinks per person every time the beverage cart comes around.
Hopefully the selections will include La Fin du Monde and Maudite.
I recently flew AC SEA-YYZ and thought it was great seeing cocktails for only $5 CAD vs $9-$12 USD we see on US carriers. I tried the white wine and it was OK. I’m surprised they aren’t pouring from bottles like Horizon used to do – QX used to offer free beer & wine on their flights as well.
This is a reckless decision by Air Canada and a risk factor for safety. Some people cannot ‘handle their liquor’ and may cause a behavioral danger to themselves or others. If Air Canada was smart they would just reduce or eliminate the baggage and/or proposed carry-on fees to make us all happy!
I respectfully disagree. Porter Airlines has been a good thing for competition in the Canadian market, it’s time Porter discovers the west and finds how disgruntled folks out here really are with WestJet generally (aka Pest-Jet) and Air Canada’s limited presence. Folks who are paying baggage and/or carry-on fees are buying Basic-economy or Ultra-basic fares and nobody should ever be choosing either, unless you want to be treated like you purchased the lowest possible fare – otherwise what the heck do you think you’re getting by paying for a higher fare? With a higher fare, 1) your baggage is included; 2) you collect loyalty points and/or status qualification; 3) unexpected changes are easier to make; 4) choosing your seat is usually included; and 5) you have a better opportunity to upgrade to a premium cabin. Never, ever get caught falling for Basic-economy or Ultra-basic fares – it’s not worth it.