American Airlines will bring back alcohol sales to main cabin customers next month, the last major carrier to allow beer, wine and spirit for economy class customers after COVID-19 precautions and complaints about unruly behavior.
Fort Worth-based American is phasing in the reintroduction of alcohol on flights of 250 miles or more starting April 18 along with snacks on flights of 1,500 miles or more.
“We will begin to phase in new menu items throughout the year,” said a statement from American Airlines spokeswoman Leah Rubertino. “Our customers have expressed that having these options onboard is important to their experience with us.”
The company is also planning to bring touchless drink and snack ordering for customers later this year.
American had already reintroduced alcohol sales to first-class and business-class sections in May 1 of last year along with some food service.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines resumed alcohol sales in February, which its union for flight attendants called “unsafe and irresponsible.” United Airlines and Delta Airlines brought back main cabin alcohol sales last year.
It’s been nearly two years since American Airlines pulled alcohol sales from aircraft, first to avoid social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then it continued as the air travel industry saw a rash of misbehaving passengers incidents that were fueled by inebriated passengers, airline regulators and flight attendants union representatives told Congressional panels last year.
That prompted a call for a ban on alcohol sales in airports, where passengers could drink and then even bring cups of alcohol on board that are easily confused with soft drinks or water.
The resumption of alcohol sales would come on the same day that the federal ban on face masks is set to expire, even though the Biden Administration has extended that mandate several times since it was first issued in January 2021.
However, the TSA said the CDC is working on “when, and under what…
