Why Is JetBlue Serving $100 Bottles Of Wine In Business Class?

by Gary Leff

JetBlue does a really nice job with their onboard soft product. Maybe too nice of a job, considering they don’t seem to be earning a revenue premium on their transatlantic flights.

They’re promoting new meals and amenity kits. The meals seem good enough, the amenity kits interesting (especially with American Airlines handing out cardboard boxes), but what is really striking to me is the wine that they’re hardly even promoting.

The new amenity kits are “transformable pouches.” Starting March 13, business class passengers “receive the kits in a sporty, mesh pouch that transforms into a mint-colored backpack.” They update domestic business class as well April 1 and “domestic Mint customers will receive the new kits in collectable pouches (four colorways) that can be snapped together to create the ultimate travel organizer.”

Here’s the current Westbound dinner menu for business class (Dublin has a separate menu).

But I’m really impressed and perplexed by the wine. They’re offering an Italian sparkling, Scarpette Ribolla Gialla Brut. That’s pretty mid. A similarly-priced (~$15) Spanish white. There’s also a Beaujolais and a pretty good Northern California Syrah (Newfond ‘Gravels’). That last is a respectable $35 bottle, which is pretty good for business class.

But there’s another bottle that’s just striking: Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc. How on earth are they managing to offer this white burgundy in business class? They’re buying in bulk, I’m sure they’re getting a great price, and I’m not sure what year but does anyone else serve such a nice chardonnay in business class?

What am I missing here? Sure, some of the oenophiles among my readers may not find this bottle to their specific preference, but I’m judging against business class offerings here. Emirates may serve Chateau d’Yquem but that’s only in first class. And on my last first class flight on American Airlines they were serving $8 chardonnay (and only one of the bottles available was even remotely drinkable, a Cuvaison Pinot Noir).

Maybe it was a mistake to post that wine shops can get over $100 per bottle for this. With Carl Icahn having taken a 10% stake in the airline and having gotten two board directors, surely this isn’t sustainable.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  2. LOL…this writer a a weird obsession with JetBlue… It is like when you love someone so much you pretend to hate them? And no…you cannot simply cut to a profit…you have to provide a great experience. Mint is not a simple giveaway.

  3. What’s even more puzzling is how a regional appellation can fetch such a huge price (and the average rating is only 88).

  4. Probably have a wine consultant who gets a huge fee or may have got a close out on the price
    The balance of the other wine makes no sense
    Should have a champagne instead of a sparkling and gone with premium USA white or a classified Bordeaux white at a lesser price
    Could be they got taken for a ride to cleaners too

  6. What data do you have to support the claim that transatlantic revenue isn’t doing well for JetBlue?

  7. @SMR: The writer doesn’t have a weird obsession with JetBlue. Anyone who has ever flown in Mint simply knows. It’s so far above other offerings it is worth writing about. I fly transcon in Mint quite often (BOS-SAN, BOS-SFO) and will actually not eat in the airport because I know a full, really good meal awaits me on the airplane… whatever it may be.

    That’s how you win over customers. Consistent, reliable, high-quality product. Works. Every. Time.

  8. If you’re going to go out of business (which can’t be too soon for me), do it with style.

  9. @Sam —> Not when it’s Roulot.

    @Doug Dressler —> What am I missing>. How does haven a wine consultant that gets paid big bucks (which to the best of my knowledge, JetBlue, does not) explain pouring a Roulot Bourgogne Blanc?

    @Gary —> In no world whatsoever does this make a lick of sense…

  11. Heard great things about Mint but, so far, it’s out of my budget for the trips I’ve considered.

  14. Roulot is so good, and the Bourgogne Blanc far better than the bs 88 rating someone here researched. It’s an indictment on the 100 pt. rating system.

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