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American Airlines starts wine delivery service

As the coronavirus has reduced travel and many airliners prohibit alcohol in cabins to decrease possible virus spread, American Airlines has launched a wine subscription service that delivers the wines once served on its plane to subscriber’s doorsteps.

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Each year, a sommelier for American Airlines reviews more than 2,000 bottles of wine to curate a collection selected from popular labels around the world to be served onboard and in lounges. But with fewer travelers and a ban on serving alcohol, the bottles were stacking up.

The service, American Airlines Flagship Cellars, is a monthly $99 subscription service that includes delivery of three bottles of wine. There are single bottle options as well as 12-bottle wine cases and Champagne available. Subscribers can also earn AAdvantage Miles, the airline’s frequent flyer program, on each purchase.

American Airlines hopes the program will bring in $50,000 in its first three months but with a net loss of $3.6 billion in its last earnings report, the company is not planning to supplant the losses with wine sales.

“Though revenue is important, Flagship Cellars is moreso a way of engaging with customers, even when they are not traveling with us,” an airline spokesperson told CNN.