Originally Posted by
indufan
Can I answer a question with a question? Why should it be free? Seriously. I don't understand. Why is there an expectation of free alcohol on an airplane? It cost them a lot of money to offer free alcohol. And I don't care how much they are paying or not paying the supplier. They could sell it and they are foregoing that. Now, I understand, it's a competitive thing. It may put them at a competitive disadvantage not to offer it. But they have raced to the bottom with so many things...I wonder why free alcohol has mostly been able to survive.
I'll answer that with common sense. In the EU soft drinks cost as much and often more than beer. Since the point of the JV is to increase EU based PAX doing inane things like charging for beer and wine does nothing to P-O the EU based PAX. I would also contend that EU based PAX would not be inclined to pay for beer or wine. So they may have more to lose in good will and return customers than they would off overpriced adult beverages.