Beverages are back! American Airlines is phasing beverage service back into its operations as travel demand rebounds and the number of vaccinated passengers continues to increase. The new policy begins on 1 May 2021, with full beverage service returning in all domestic premium cabins.
The company will wait another month, however, before bringing the drink cart back to the economy cabin. Canned drinks, juice and water return to the main cabin on 1 June. Alcohol will not return to coach until “Later this summer.” The coach buy-on-board offering will return when booze comes back.
In addition to the passenger impact of resuming service on board the company calls attention to coordination with flight attendants. “American’s reintroduction of beverage service is a careful and informed process to ensure everyone on board feels safe and comfortable,” said Brady Byrnes, Vice President of Flight Service.
Byrnes continued, “We worked closely with the union that represents our flight attendants, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, and medical experts on this process. Through our partnership, we collectively determined that the timing is right to bring back this service, and we can do so while continuing to give customers peace of mind.”
Mask usage remains a requirement thanks to the federal mandate. That adds challenges for cabin crew, increasing time in the cabin and potential enforcement related to the masks.
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