by For me, a holiday starts with that first sip of an ice-cold G&T as you soar above the clouds. There’s a certain release you feel at 35,000 feet, when it’s a little bumpy, that makes the airport jam and the stress of vacation planning worse. The holiday has truly begun.
And while the standards on budget airlines may not be as high – last week, a passenger on a Ryanair flight ordered “Dublin Lemonade” from the airline’s new “ready to drink” cocktail menu, and the individual ingredients were served promptly. to make the drink himself – in premium classes, of course, the drinks options are flying high.
Passengers flying first class from Dubai to the Americas with Emirates this summer can enjoy a complimentary glass of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2008, an extremely rare bottling and exclusive to Emirates. Meanwhile Virgin Atlantic’s new cocktail menu launched this spring, bringing destination-inspired creations to classy cabins. Customers on flights to the US can enjoy the “American Dream”, Silver Patron tequila mixed with grapefruit soda and a lime wedge, ready to order.
So where does the story of the cowbird in flight begin? On a hot air balloon. The first ever airborne alcoholic drink was served in December 1783, according to author Richard Foss Food in Air and Space: The Amazing History of Food and Drink in the Skies. Physicist Jacques Charles and fellow passenger Nicholas-Louis Robert picked up a bottle of champagne to toast the balloon’s ascent as they began their two-and-a-half-hour journey. That first glass of fizz set the precedent for the glamorous era of air travel that followed.
Dry start
Although commercial airlines first emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the Prohibition era in the United States meant that alcohol was not served on US carriers until the 1940s, with Pan Am and National Airlines leading the charge. The advent of pressurized aircraft began with the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, which allowed 33 passengers to travel at higher altitudes in comfort. Larger craft meant more room for cabin crew, and galley kitchens made it easier to serve alcohol.
sky-high cocktails
Although Pan Am was the first in the United States to serve an in-flight alcoholic beverage, it was National Airlines that paved the way for the future of alcohol on board, serving it on flights from New York to Miami when it is outside US airspace. According to Jack El-Hai, author Nonstop: The Turbulent History of Northwest Airlinesit was North West, which disbanded after merging with Delta in 2008, that took things seriously, publishing pamphlets entitled The Story of Distilled Beverages educate staff on the art of pouring drinks. To save space by not having to carry multiple mixers, the airline famously served martinis, scotch, manhattans and whiskey on all its domestic flights.
Champagne service
Until 1978, ticket fees were regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board in the United States, so the best way for airlines to make money was to charge extra for appealing extras like three-course meals and unlimited alcohol. Competition between airlines subsequently increased, and with no in-flight entertainment, the race to grab seats meant enticing customers with free drinks and snacks. Royal Delta Service included complimentary champagne, followed by canapés and cocktails and, if you ask for more, small bottles of your favorite spirits.
Meanwhile, in Britain, BEA (British European Airways) relaunched the pre-war Silver Wing service between London Heathrow and Paris in 1952. The flight’s drink offering included champagne in plastic glasses – a first for the time.
The golden age of in-flight drinking
The introduction of the Boeing 747 to the Pan Am fleet in 1970 really got the party started. These jumbo jets were big enough to fit into bars and lounges and the race was on to offer the most exclusive, secluded experience. The menus with Pan Am were extensive, including a wide range of fine wines and meals with appropriate cutlery.
Continental Airlines (now United Airlines after a 2012 merger) was known to announce not one but two lounges and a pub on board its Boeing 747s, as a 1970s marketing postcard says: “The Polynesian Pub, new Coach lounge Continental… a fun place to relax, eat fresh popcorn, drink a cold beer or cocktail and meet friendly people.”
Qantas’s Captain Cook-themed Lounge followed in 1971, seating 15 and offering a stand-up bar. And let’s not forget the iconic American Airlines Piano Bar. To compete, New York-based Mohawk Airlines decorated its aging vintage DC-3 rail cars with stewardesses dressed as ballroom ladies handing out free beer, cigarettes and pretzels. passengers.
The British approach in the late 1970s was, of course, more restrictive, with first-class passengers and BA businessmen treated to in-flight catering inspired by the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (from 1558 to 1603). A Posset cocktail – popular 400 years earlier, was a concoction made by mixing hot milk, spices and liqueur.
End of an era
But with the introduction of economy class seats on transatlantic flights for the first time, the sense of exclusivity and glamor of air travel slowly began to fade. Airlines were required to limit their economy class food and drink offerings to coffee, tea, mineral water and “simple, cold and inexpensive” sandwiches.
In January 2017, BA announced that it would no longer be offering free food and drink on any short-haul services, a move it described at The Telegraph‘s Nick Trend as “the end of an era”. At the time, Trend suggested that there is no longer any difference between the airline and the likes of easyJet or Ryanair. “Charging short-haul economy class passengers for drinks and sandwiches removes the final distinction between BA and its low-cost rivals.”
The elegant age of drinking on planes is still there – in business and first class. And, if it’s a G&T you want, most airlines are happy to oblige with a slice (though perhaps not iced) as standard.
A word of warning
While it’s undisputed that alcohol is bad for your health, a recent study found that drinking and falling asleep on a plane can be fatal for those with pre-existing heart conditions. “I would advise people with heart or lung conditions not to drink alcohol on planes,” said Dr Eva-Maria Elmenhorst, of the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, in a recent article in the Telegraph. In the new study, an experiment was conducted on 48 people to assess the effects of alcohol and sleep on people in a pressurized cabin, and it showed that alcohol had a significant negative effect on heart rate and oxygen saturation levels.
“It is important to remember that this study is based on a small sample of people and the results should not be transferred to the population as a whole,” said Ian Hamilton, senior lecturer in addiction and mental health at the University of York. “Most people who drink and fly will have no significant health problems. That said, we don’t know what the long-term effects of combining alcohol with flights are. The reduced oxygen levels can lead to physical risks leading to a more serious health problem.”
Perhaps more concerning is what Hamilton calls the “BOGOF effect” of drinking alcohol on a plane. “Two units feel like wearing one and this could really draw people out.”
