Budget carrier Allegiant Air sells top-shelf whiskey on board, which in some cases costs as much as the flight itself.
The Las Vegas-based airline added Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskey to its menu on select flights earlier this year, making it the only US carrier to offer this premium drink.
If you charge $35 at a time, in some cases this is a similar price to the flight itself. The airline charges just $38 each way for flights between Las Vegas and Phoenix.
It’s not the only discounter to benefit from customers’ willingness to spend money on more expensive alcohol, but also from the desire to offer deals on basic items such as airline tickets.
Fellow discount airlines Frontier and Spirit have also added more premium alcohol options to their onboard menus.
Las Vegas-based airline Allegiant Air added Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskey to the menu on select flights earlier this year
“There’s a whole premiumization of consumer demand going on, especially when it comes to spirits,” said Scott DeAngelo, Allegiant’s chief marketing officer. The Wall Street Journal.
In addition to Johnnie Walker Blue whiskey, Allegiant has also added airplane bottles of Don Julio Reposado tequila for $15, Gray Goose vodka for $15, and Aperol Spritz for $13.
Allegiant Airlines charges $35 for a shot of Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskey on board
The new premium spirits are available on flights to and from Las Vegas, and an enhanced wine list is now offered on all routes.
The changes come as airlines take advantage of so-called “split-brain spending.”
Previously, low cost airlines offered mostly cheap drink options to match the budget friendly tickets.
But airlines have realized that customers are willing to drink a lot of booze on board.
An Allegiant spokesperson told DailyMail.com how the improved drinks are a direct response to customer surveys conducted last year.
“Our distributors provided a list of 15 popular premium brands and we asked customers to choose from that list.
“Johnnie Walker Blue and Don Julio were among the top picks subsequently added to the menu,” the spokesperson said.
Much of the demand for premium brands came from frequent travelers, according to DeAngelo. As many as 25 percent of passengers on some routes travel to and from vacation homes in places like Florida, Arizona and Las Vegas, he said.
Flying Allegiant “isn’t a price issue for them,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
The Don Julio Reposado is so popular, he added, that the airline is considering rolling it out nationwide.
At $11, a half bottle of La Marca Prosecco is nearly double the price of the airline’s previous sparkling option, but Allegiant already sells twice as many bottles, according to DeAngelo.
Frontier and Spirit also recently added bubbly to their menus, selling a mini bottle of Brut Dargent sparkling wine for $12.
Anthony Iorio, manager of onboard retail at Frontier, said the airline is selling 10 to 15 percent more wine as a result of the upgrade.
The Don Julio Reposado is so popular that Allegiant is considering rolling it out nationwide. It also offers plane-sized bottles of Gray Goose vodka for $15
It’s because a new study shows which U.S. airlines have the highest hidden costs.
According to an analysis by coupon code website NetVoucherCodes, Spirit Airlines has the highest hidden costs of any U.S. airline, making trips 736 percent more expensive than their base airfare.
According to the study, Volaris, a Mexican low-cost carrier, has the second highest hidden costs. The hidden costs are 626 percent of the original flight price, with customers paying $82.20 on top of a $13.13 flight.
Frontier had the third highest hidden costs, as it adds an average of $109 to a $29 base airfare, making the trip 376 percent more expensive.
It comes after the administration pledged in February to crack down on hidden “junk” fees, which the White House estimates cost Americans about $65 billion annually.
Customers are routinely promised a total amount, only to find that the actual cost is much more expensive when they factor in the price of baggage, seat selection and insurance – which often cost much more than the flight itself
Customers are routinely promised a total amount, but find that the actual cost is much more expensive when they factor in the price of baggage, seat selection and insurance – which often cost much more than the flight itself.
The research shows that U.S. airlines charge an average of $78.04 in hidden fees. European carriers, on the other hand, charge $57.79 on average, while international carriers charge $33.27.
While budget airlines tend to charge more hidden fees – rather than factoring them into the cost of the flight itself – major airlines also add fees.
United Airlines added $67 in hidden costs, increasing the total price by 122 percent, according to the study, while American Airlines added $52 in hidden costs, increasing the total by 95 percent.