Passengers Can Drink Again on Domestic Flights From Delta

Since we’re packing people into planes again, pandemic be damned, you might need a drink to get you through your flight.

Getting alcohol has been a problem recently on other airlines, but Delta will now once again offer complimentary beer and wine to First Class passengers on domestic flights as well as Comfort+ customers on flights over 500 miles, according to The Drinks Business. (And to be fair, Delta is still blocking its middle seats.)

Delta has initially resisted domestic drinks service after resuming many of its flights; the idea was to reduce the overall interaction between passengers and staff, and to discourage fliers from keeping their masks off for an extended period of time.

“We know beer and wine are the adult beverages our customers want most,” said Allison Ausband, Delta’s senior vice president of in-flight service. “These selections are the first step towards a normalized beverage offering while we continue to keep customer and crew safety at the center of everything we do.”

To minimize interactions, flight attendants will deliver the drinks on a serving tray because they “have fewer touch points,” according to a statement by the airline. And as Delta spokesperson Olivia Mays told CNN, “You’re not mixing a drink or throwing a lime into a gin and tonic. These are what we feel are good first steps.”

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Kirk Miller

Kirk Miller is InsideHook’s Senior Lifestyle Editor (and longest-serving resident). He writes a lot about whisk(e)y, cocktails, consumer goods and artificial intelligence.