American Admirals Clubs Selling Krug Champagne

They are probably avoiding some kind of tax or licensing fee that allows them to sell for so cheap

There is one other option - AA expects to modify the FF Dining experience and rein in costs. Replacing Krug with another option (especially if it is poured by the glass from a standard 750ml bottle by the bartender rather than a 375ml bottle opened for the customer) would likely save a good amount of money. Selling Krug now not only raises cash, but it enables a seamless shift to the new experience so it isn't 6 weeks of Krug and then a downgrade.

What’s the expiration date on all their Krug...

AMEX travel Credits anyone?

- I was in DFW Club in D on Friday Dec18 and did not see that option.

I really hope they don't downgrade or close the flagship first dining experience permanently.

Krug half bottles regularly sell for $50 retail (yes 2 half bottles is cheaper than a full bottle). So while it's a good deal to buy in an airport I wouldn't call it a phenomenal deal.

Will this trigger Amex Plat airlines credit if I had American as my choice airline ?

Not as good as redeeming 10,000 Skymiles for a full bottle of Krug in the Delta Clubs though! Sometimes you can even negotiate so they will let you leave with it... a little tip usually helps ;).

I'm going to be mad AF if the permanently close FFD.

Ben, can you please ask your contacts at AA what is up?

Krug can wholesale as low as $12/full bottle depending on the size of the order (you're usually talking 50 cases or more for a price that low). I don't think I would read into this with any long term implications. Its just as likely they got a good deal from their distributer (who is also likely hurting) and is a quick way to raise some cash with the massive markups.

...or it could just be that AA got together with their supplier of Krug and came up with a great way of generating some online publicity, just as they did when they introduced it into Flagship First Dining. When they did that, it generated multi-millions of dollars in free publicity (and still does) online, as well as in mainstream media...from 20/20, to the WSJ, to the NY Times and the Times of London. Looks like they are being successful again, and for good reason! As a CK, I look forward to the return of FFD, and the use of our free certificates. I'm confident it will happen as soon as a reasonable percentage of international and transcon first seats actually start selling again (typically, in volume, for business flyers).

A US3 airline serving actual champagne? Krug? In a lounge? What has the world come to?

As someone who is in the business of importing and brokering wine, there is the always difficult issue of storing large quantities along with the relative short shelf life of champagne. This is an excellent price for a 375ml bottle of Krug and if the excess inventory is still for sale in February at DFW when I transit there next, I’ll definitely be all in.

Does AA really use 375ml bottles in their first class or flagship lounges for pouring rather than full bottles? If isn't the case then I dont think its to "clear excess inventory" and rather to make some extra profits.

Luke, they do use 375ml bottles in first class dining within the flagship lounges. I always assumed it was a cost cutting measure, but those more in the know seem to disagree.

Wow if it can make use of Amex airline credits then fly to DFW for the day and drink for free

LMAO

@Brodie yes it's a cost cutting measure. As I stated above it's cheaper both retail and wholesale to buy the half bottle.

@GuruJanitor I call BS. On what planet you getting Krug 750ml wholesale at $12?

@Omar I'd buy every single 1/2 bottle at $50. Typical retail is around $70

@M "What’s the expiration date on all their Krug…" good one

@the original donna

if you are someone in the wine biz, you should know champagne of this level doesnt have a short life

I'll be using some of my Amex airline fee credits on this!

Haha did someone ask what the expiration date is? To you i dont think you'll be able to taste the difference so you dont need to worry about paying extra for this, you probably cant access the lounge anyways.

Well I like that the MIA AC has the former mixed nuts served in F. For domestic flights other than transcons they were the best part of the meal. The bartenders always give me a big heap of servings when I order a drink from the bar. Unfortunately, the nuts aren't served warm.

@jordon23- I used the term “relative” short life while commenting on storage conditions. Three to five years maximum under ideal storage conditions is not what I would consider a long life.

Champaign. Overpriced. Sparkling wine gives a similar effect and is much cheaper. They are not "giving it away" - if they really need the money they would sell it for even less.

Just to post @gurujanitor is in idiot $12 a bottle yea ok

@The Original Donna

i have and have had many a Krug, both vintage and grand cuvee, well past 3-5 years. Strike 2.

@iamhere

"Sparkling wine gives a similar effect and is much cheaper."

wtf does that mean?

Flagship Dining.. probably not to reopen, along with international First. Corp contracts that kept international F around will most likely take a while to return and likely be smaller if/when they do. It may remain on the A321T though (if those remain in the current config). As far as the physical space of F Dining goes, knock down a wall and do some slight reconfiguring, now you have additional dining room for the main Flagship Lounge. If F remains on transcon they can do as before and offer a private holding room for celebrities/high-rollers that demand such amenities.

Even though I’m a Knicks fan, I have to agree with Jordan23. Having worked in Michelin starred restaurants for over a decade, champagne can age just fine (it is a wine after all). I plan on popping some vintage bubbles when the Knicks make the playoffs again...thanks to James Dolan, mine might be aging for another decade...

@John Starks

But what about 375ml vs regular sized bottle ? Do they age or expire differently ?

@jordan23 - ever work in the restaurant/nightlife industry?

@theoriginaldonna - Krug doesn't have a shelf life. It ages just fine.

@D3kingg, Anthony Mason (RIP) was my guy.

375ml bottles do age at a little faster rate (given ideal storage conditions for each particular wine), and champagne will lose some of its vibrancy over time. But, I’ve had older champagne that might have been considered past the point of being good which was excellent, so it’s a crapshoot. Wine is a living substance, so how you treat it/store it and a number of other factors (such as the initial quality of the wine) can be consequential to how it drinks when opened. Aging “two buck chuck” for 20 years won’t turn it into Lafite. But, if you do have a half-bottle of Krug, it’s really meant to be enjoyed as soon as it’s cold.

@jordan23, @applesa. The comment from @GuruJanitor may not be that far fetched. A quick search on Alibaba can find Krug, Dom, and others available for $12-30 per bottle with a 50-100 case minimum. Whether or one can actually trust what's inside the bottle is another story.

@iamhere
That is sacrilege! Now, take your California "sparkling" juice and get thee behind me Satan.

@Brodie @Luke They pour from 375mL bottles in FFD https://www.instagram.com/p/B2PQB2hHNFS/

@Clem you get Dom with 10,000 miles, not Krug