American Airlines will serve alcohol again after a nine-month prohibition

Following a nearly nine-month prohibition, American Airlines has announced that it would resume selling alcoholic beverages on its flights starting on April 18, 2019.

The change in catering regulations coincides with the expiration of the federal mask requirement in the United States across all modes of transportation, which has been extended until the same date (although this may be extended again).

In response to a spike in the number of rowdy passenger events during the pandemic, American was one of many US airlines, including Southwest and Delta, to restrict the sale of alcoholic beverages on its flights throughout the year 2021, among them was American.

As a result of the epidemic, easyJet and KLM airlines in Europe, as well as Virgin Australia, also banned alcohol sales for a period of time.

Southwest Airlines resumed the selling of alcoholic beverages on its flights in February, leaving American as the only remaining booze-free airline in the world to fly.

In recent months, American has maintained the availability of alcoholic beverages in first class while eliminating them from trolleys in economy.

As the airline noted in a statement issued last week, “our customers have emphasized that having these alternatives available aboard is vital to their overall experience with us.”

Beer will cost $8 (€5.40), while spirits such as gin, rum, vodka and whiskey – as well as wine – will cost $9 (€8.15). Spirits will be priced at $9 (€8.15).

During the coronavirus pandemic, there was a significant increase in the number of disruptive passenger occurrences. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 5,981 incidents of rowdy passengers on US airlines in 2021, an increase from the previous year. There were 4,290 of them that were linked to masks.

As a result, airlines like as Delta have asked for a countrywide “no-fly” list, which would prohibit rowdy customers from flying on any airline after committing an offense on one.

The planned list, however, was met with opposition from eight Republican senators last month, who said it unjustly equated those who refuse to wear masks with terrorists.