As a frequent flier who also loves good wine, it’s been a minor pet peeve of mine for a while that if you are traveling in coach, or sitting in an airport lounge, while brand-name hard liquor may be available, the wine is a different story. The offerings are generally at a level that often could be politely described as “rot-gut.” Or at best the equivalent of the cheapest jug wine sold by the glass at a casual restaurant.
And is this a disaster? No, in the grand scheme of travel annoyances, it’s pretty low. Sometimes in fact, all that is required of wine is that it be wet. But other times, maybe it’s been a really long day at the office, or maybe you’re in a celebratory mood, or maybe you just want to treat yourself — didn’t travel used to be fun?. And there’s no options, well, unless you do as a friend of mine who shall remain nameless who brings a couple 3.5 ounce plastic bottles filled with good stuff.
Now, either after listening to frequent fliers, or perhaps just listening to a smart person in marketing, United is trying different wine options. And in the Red Carpet Club they are very fine options indeed.
The standard wine, at $6 a glass is from Hess, which isn’t bad. But the good wines are not only at the level of what you would find in a nice bar, the prices are, for now, as good or better.
No doubt the offerings may change, but currently United is offering a glass of Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc, a wine that normally retails for about $30 a bottle, for $10 a glass. It’s the same price for an Artesia Chardonnay, Bianchi Petite Sirah or Silver Palm Cabernet, which are all usually about $20 a bottle.
And Tattinger champagne, yes, real champagne, is $12 a glass. While these might not be prices you’d pay every day, they are certainly in line with restaurant and bars. In fact, in many cases they are lower.
The Red Carpet Clubs are also offering some interesting salads and hot Panini sandwiches for $9-$10, for travelers who want more than the usual salty snacks. United also is offering some “premium” wine offerings on their planes, although they are not as high end. And the food choices onboard remain limited.
The only potential problem I can see, assuming United limits their offerings to relatively mild smelling food offerings, is that airport restaurant and bars may not be happy about this new development, and perhaps if the trend continues some of them could contest the idea as they pay high leases for what is in theory access to a captive audience. (Especially since the Red Carpet Clubs don’t allow outside food.)
Also, the new food and beverage options alone aren’t worth joining the Red Carpet Club, but for frequent fliers with memberships, they’re a nice added perk. And even on a limited basis, any additional choices that potentially make the flying experience more pleasant are a welcome change. Presumably if United makes a profit on this experiment, they will expand it to their flights. What a concept! Food and wine passengers might actually really look forward to buying.
photo of United Red Carpet Club in Los Angeles – by golden_toque on fickr.com/creative commons
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
