Business Insight Zone

Best misunderstood headline of the day:

US Airways: Free drinks in coach

For a second after I first read it, I thought that US Airways would offer a free alcoholic drink to each passenger. It would be easy enough, right? Imagine the flight attendant saying,

“We know times are tough right now, so for those of legal age who’d like one, please accept a glass of beer or wine with our compliments.”

But that would require innovation, wouldn’t it?

I asked around, and it turns out that at least one airline — the regional Canadian carrier Porter — already does this. Do you know of others?

More to the point, would you like it if an airline offered this?

My sense is that it could be a small, cost-effective way to show some empathy for passengers, especially those who have been stuck with checked-bag fees and long, pointless security lines.

What say you?

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Photo by Hawkins, used under a Creative Commons license.