American Airlines Offers Best Wine in North American Skies, Says Global Traveler Magazine August 4th, 2011
FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — American Airlines is once again taking home the top prize for its wine selection. Global Traveler magazine awarded three honors to American in the magazine’s annual survey of airline wine selections in international First and Business Class and North American premium class cabins.
Global Traveler’s panel of wine judges awarded American Airlines with Best North American Wines on the Wing, Best North American Sparkling for the Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut and Best North American Red Wine for the Pellegrini Family Blend. The August 2011 issue of Global Traveler magazine showcases the “Wines on the Wing” survey results as the month’s cover story.
“We constantly look for ways to improve the experience our customers have onboard our aircraft and our award-winning wine selection is an integral part of that,” said Rob Friedman, American’s Vice President – Marketing. “It’s an honor to have the prestigious judges at Global Traveler recognize our wine program and the efforts of our wine consultant, Ken Chase, to select those premium wines that appeal to our customers’ tastes.”
According to Global Traveler, 28 airlines submitted 136 white, red and champagne or sparkling wines currently offered on their international First and Business Class and North American premium class wine lists for a blind taste test. The tasting was organized by Global Traveler’s wine columnist and noted wine expert, Eunice Fried, using 31 independent judges who are noted wine-industry experts.
“American Airlines consistently outperforms the other North American airlines in our annual wine survey, which is a clear sign of its unrivaled dedication to its passengers,” said Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO, Global Traveler. “Congratulations once again on a wonderful showing in our survey.”
American’s wine consultant, Ken Chase, a classically trained winemaker and viticulturist, updates American’s wine list regularly to ensure that only the finest red, white, sparkling and dessert wines are served onboard. Chase has designed over 25 unique wine lists for international and domestic flights to ensure that each selection complements the ethnic, cultural, seasonal and stylistic differences of each destination.
In August 2010, American won first place for Best North American Wines on the Wing for its overall wine selection in North American premium class, Best North American Red Wine for the Murphy Goode Cabernet Sauvignon, and Best North American Sparkling Wine for the Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Carneros Brut. In addition, oneworld® won the Best Alliance Wines on the Wing award.
SOURCE American Airlines
Virgin America Unveils New Onboard Menu April 10th, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Virgin America, the California-based airline known for its fresh, award-winning in-flight cuisine, today launches its spring in-flight menu and joins with San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to celebrate the food at its new home at San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 2 (T2). Virgin America is an anchor tenant at SFO’s new T2, which aims to be one of the most sustainable airport terminals in the world. Part of SFO’s sustainability efforts included recruiting Slow Food® vendors that serve local and sustainably-sourced cuisine. Today the airline announces the rollout of its new spring onboard menu in conjunction with the unveiling of new vendors at SFO which include restaurants from Food Network Host and Bay Area-based chef Tyler Florence and Iron Chef Cat Cora.
The food purveyors and restaurants in SFO’s next generation Terminal 2 (T2) fire up the ovens and display their wares today for a “Taste of T2″ – a special event highlighting the delicious cuisine options that will be available to passengers traveling through SFO. Inspired by San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building, T2 offers a beautiful food marketplace and retail street featuring the best of the Bay Area’s retailers and restaurants offering locally-sourced, organic menu items. T2 will feature notable local establishments such as Andale, Napa Valley Farms, Vino Volo, Peets Coffee & Tea and The Plant Cafe Organic. As part of SFO’s sustainability efforts, all T2 vendors are also required to use compostable utensils and containers.
Since its launch, Virgin America has aimed to serve local and sustainable cuisine onboard. The airline’s menu helped it capture the “Best Domestic Airline for Food” award in Travel + Leisure 2009 World’s Best Awards.
Virgin America’s menus are crafted using an assortment of sustainable and fresh ingredients, including local fruits and vegetables, premium meats and artisan breads.
The new Main Cabin and Main Cabin Select menus are available “on-demand” to Virgin America flyers via the airline’s innovative touch-screen seatback entertainment platform. The Red ™ In-Flight Entertainment system allows travelers to order a variety of cocktails, snacks and meals right from their seatback touch-screen any time during a flight. Virgin America is the only airline in the U.S. with a touch-screen seatback menu that enables “anytime” ordering during a flight.