KLM to Stop Serving Free Beer and Wine in Economy Class
KLM will stop serving free beer and wine on board its European flights, saying the move will “strengthen the warm and hospitable experience” offered by the airline.
No more free beer and wine on KLM
KLM, the flagship airline of the Netherlands, will stop serving complimentary beer and wine on its intra-European flights from October this year.
In recent months, KLM has trialled different catering concepts on some test flights within Europe to see how customers would respond to a different selection of complimentary drinks and snacks, as well as a buy-on-board menu.
KLM has now evaluated both the product assortment and the supporting operational processes and decided that complimentary alcoholic drinks in intra-European Economy Class will have to go.
Grand Café KLM
The new economy class catering concept on European KLM flights will be branded as Grand Café KLM.
Under the new concept, passengers will have the option to pre-order a meal before departure or buy drinks and snacks from an onboard menu during the flight.
A KLM press release noted that the new catering concept will include healthy pre-order meals such as a poke bowl and Caesar salad, as well as buy-on-board items such as a salmon and egg wrap or yoghurt with fruit and seeds.
Complimentary offering
Although beer and wine will come at an additional charge from October onwards, passengers flying within Europe with KLM will still receive a complimentary drink and snack.
As part of the new catering concept, KLM will offer passengers a small stroopwafel cookie.
Passengers can also choose from complimentary coffee, tea, water, or orange juice.
KLM did not specify whether other drinks, such as Coca-Cola and other soft drinks, will still be available free of charge from October onwards.
Currently, KLM still serves free beer and wine, as well as complimentary cheese sandwiches, on longer intra-European flights, so the new catering offer represents a downgrade in both quantity and quality.
Update 15-8: Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members will get a free choice of drink and snack from the new buy-on-board menu.
Enhancing the passenger experience
Bas Gerressen, EVP Inflight Services at KLM, commented that the airline is “taking the next step in enhancing the European travel experience”.
Mr Gerressen said: “Passengers will benefit from greater choice, more flexibility, and an offering that better reflects a wide range of preferences and needs.
“Whether they choose to pre-order a meal or spontaneously select a snack or beverage onboard, Grand Café KLM allows passengers to tailor the service to their personal preferences.
“In doing so, this new concept further strengthens the warm and hospitable experience we strive to provide.”
Is KLM management delusional?
KLM’s take that passengers actually welcome having to pay for beer and wine, and its spin that this somehow strengthens the warm and hospitable experience on board, is downright delusional.
There is certainly something to be said for KLM offering appealing pre-order or buy-on-board snacks, and I can imagine that this part of the new catering offer will be welcomed by some passengers.
However, literally not a single passenger will ever think that going from complimentary beer and wine to having to pay a, without doubt, hefty sum of money for it is a positive enhancement.
Nothing would have stopped KLM from enhancing its economy snack offering and introducing a full buy-on-board menu while still retaining complimentary beer, wine and other drinks.
It shows that this move is really all about cost-cutting rather than improving the passenger experience on board.
Air France and SAS comparison
With its new intra-European catering concept, KLM is moving in the direction of SAS, where economy class passengers only receive complimentary tea or coffee.
No matter how KLM management tries to spin it, the airline has just devalued its economy class product to a run-of-the-mill offering compared with other European airlines.
And it’s not as if KLM’s intra-European business class product is anything to write home about either, as it ranks towards the bottom in Europe.
It will be interesting to see what its partner airline Air France does in the future with its economy class catering offering, as the French carrier has also conducted similar trials to KLM.
However, given that Air France has always maintained higher standards for onboard catering in both business and economy class than KLM, and that the French have such a strong culinary culture and appreciation for wine, I doubt they will follow in the Dutch airline’s footsteps.
Conclusion
KLM will stop serving free beer and wine on its European flights from October, replacing its current catering offer with a buy-on-board menu and the option to pre-order snacks and meals.
Under the new catering offer, only coffee, tea, orange juice, and a small stroopwafel cookie will remain available free of charge.
