We’re seeing a bit of a champagne battle between the “big three” US carriers, when it comes to what kind of bubbles they pour in business class. First United and Laurent-Perrier announced a partnership, then Delta and Taittinger announced a partnership, and now it’s American’s turn… I’m very pleasantly surprised!
In this post:
American Airlines partners with Champagne Bollinger!
American has announced a partnership with Bollinger, whereby we’ll see Champagne Bollinger poured in Flagship Lounges and in Flagship First and Flagship Business on long haul flights. For those not familiar, here’s how Champagne Bollinger is described:
For nearly 200 years, Champagne Bollinger has been celebrated for its uncompromising savoir-faire and time-honored traditions, with Pinot Noir at the heart of its style. Special Cuvée, the House’s flagship, highlights this distinctive character — powerful yet refined, with remarkable depth and elegance. As one of the last great independent Houses in Champagne, the Maison shares American’s commitment to creating meaningful moments for travelers, making them a natural partner as Special Cuvée debuts in Flagship lounges and on board Flagship flights.
American claims that this “collaboration underscores American’s dedication to premium hospitality, thoughtful curation and world-class service” (tee hee). Here’s how Heather Garboden, American Chief Customer Officer, describes this:
“At American, our focus is on elevating the experience for our customers and we’re excited to announce this partnership with Champagne Bollinger. A House as storied as Bollinger is the perfect fit for American on the eve of our centennial year.”
Now, the rollout of this will be a little scattered. Starting today, customers visiting Flagship Lounges in Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), and Miami (MIA), will be greeted with a glass of Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée upon entering. In the coming weeks, this will be expanded to Flagship Lounges in Los Angeles (LAX) and Philadelphia (PHL). It will also be available for purchase at Admirals Clubs in the near future.
Then starting in October 2025, Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée will be served in Flagship First and Flagship Business on all flights to and from Paris (CDG), followed by a broader rollout across international Flagship flights in the months ahead.
So the rollout isn’t exactly fast, but it’s cool to see this will be available both onboard and in lounges (since some airlines have much better alcohol in the air than on the ground).
This is a really impressive, premium upgrade!
You’ve gotta appreciate competition, because the “big three” US carriers arguably now serve among the best champagne that you’ll find in business class on any airline (with a limited number of exceptions).
I’m not a huge champagne drinker anymore, as it gives me a headache, as I guess I’m getting too old. Still, if you gave me the choice between Bollinger, Laurent-Perrier, and Taittinger, I’d choose the Bollinger. So at least based on my preferences, American wins here among its peers. For that matter, I also appreciate how American serves this in lounges and onboard, unlike Delta (which only serves the good stuff onboard).
Some people will say “well no one chooses an airline because of champagne.” That’s of course true, but marketing and branding is important, and it’s one small aspect of how an airline positions itself overall. Generally, no one chooses an airline because of any one particular thing, but rather because of the entire, bundled value proposition of price, schedule, and product.
The other thing to keep in mind is that these collaborations aren’t necessarily that costly for airlines. When you have an exclusive partnership like this, you can bet that American is getting a huge discount on the champagne, given the mutually good marketing. Bollinger is exposing a pretty affluent crowd to its product, and the hope is that it generates more business for the company.
There’s definitely a halo effect for features like this, especially for an airline like American, which needs some easy wins. When you combine this with American’s new Flagship Suite business class, flying American long haul is becoming an increasingly pleasant experience.
Bottom line
American is launching a new collaboration with Bollinger, whereby we’ll see the airline pouring that as its champagne in Flagship Lounges and in Flagship First and Flagship Business on long haul flights. This is a positive development, and follows United recently partnering with Laurent-Perrier partnership, and Delta partnering with Taittinger. US airlines sure are investing in their premium products, and that’s nice to see…
What do you make of American’s Bollinger collaboration for champagne?
I wonder if all of the lounge Piper will end up on board for a while, as a marked improvement over Nicky F and some of the other randoms, hence the delayed Bolli rollout onboard.
Also, I think the Bolli colors match the new biz class quite well.
So based on the article titles, the final ranking is United (Wow) > AA (Premium) > DL (Nice).
@ Eskimo -- Hah, well United was first, hence the "wow." It's kind of like how Flagship Lounges were awesome before Polaris Lounges and Delta One Lounges existed.
So then you are agreeing that DL ranks at the bottom of the champagne tier list for you?
Bollinger in the flute with Andre level service. Cheers!
unlike Delta (which only serves the good stuff onboard).
Not related, but sort of, when I recently visited a Delta One Lounge and asked the bartender for a Mocktail he got angry and told me to just make one with juice and sparkling water. Very nice and hospital, sorry I am sober I guess.
I think they need also food improvements.
I fly out of LHR a lot and that pre-landing "cheese toastie" is an abomination.
Every other meal I eat on AA is a miss.
Hope this will eventually lead to improvements to the wine programs as well. I’ll only have the pre-departure glass of bubbles and much prefer a couple glasses of red after takeoff.
I’m good. I’ll pick up a bottle for $53 and enjoy at home. No thank you.
This is the normal take.
FNT Delta Diamond needs to take notes bc they are obsessed with drinking alcohol at the airport.
Look ; It is an elevated champagne offering across the US3 that makes it a more upscale travel experience but if you are being served a vintage champagne that retails for a few hundred dollars on an international carrier in First Class that is going to be more of a luxurious memorable experience.
AA is improving in a lot of ways and they need it - look at how uncompetitive their fares, on just about all routes and all cabin classes, have been in the last ~5 years as their reputation for poor service caught up to them.
Right now you can book DFW to Tokyo for about 80k AA miles in business. UA will charge 3 times that and DL 6 times that.
We're in a sweet...
AA is improving in a lot of ways and they need it - look at how uncompetitive their fares, on just about all routes and all cabin classes, have been in the last ~5 years as their reputation for poor service caught up to them.
Right now you can book DFW to Tokyo for about 80k AA miles in business. UA will charge 3 times that and DL 6 times that.
We're in a sweet spot right now where fares (and thus mileage redemptions) are cheap while the quality of service is on the upswing. In another couple of years AA is going to be charging UA and DL rates for miles and it will be impossible to fly business class for under 150,000 miles on any route.
Will it come to the Greenwich lounge at JFK?