I have been comped four or five bottles of wine over the past few years. One time that really stands out was last October when my wife and I were going to Phoenix (weekend of our anniversary). She wanted a drink on the flight from MSY to DFW but does not like Bloody Mary's. As this is a short domestic hop, I did not think they would have champagne.

When we boarded the flight, I asked the FA if my wife could have a mimosa, as I suspected, no champagne--so I gave her bottle I had brought with me (anticipating this situation). My wife had her mimosa and I told the FA that once we were wheels up, the champagne may be served to anyone else in FC who asked.

Well, the flight to DFW was bumpy and beverage service never occurred. The entire bottle (less one drink) was poured out prior to landing and the FA gave us a bottle of sauvignon blanc as a conciliatory gesture.


If anyone is interested, bringing liquor on a plane for consumption is permitted under certain situations, but the bottle must be under the control of the FA during the flight. Section 3.46 of the FAA Flight Attendant's Handbook (red book-every FA has one) permits the FA to serve liquor brought onboard by a pax for special occasions (including anniversary) or if purchased in a duty-free store. (I got this infomation from the FA on my regular Monday morning flight. As mentioned in an earlier post, Delta FAs are wonderful--one of the main reasons I will resist flying another airline.)