FYI: JetBlue Flights Are BYOB (With a Catch)
When it comes to airplane food and drink, JetBlue is no slouch. Earlier this month, the airline announced that it was adding artisanal ice cream to the menu on select Mint routes — and that’s in addition to some already above-average in-flight eats, including Dunkin’ Donuts coffee service. But for travelers thirsting for a beverage with a little more kick —and looking to save a few dollars — we’ve got a great tip: JetBlue flights are BYOB.
Sure, you can order up more than a dozen types of beer, wine, and spirits from the in-flight menu, but that’s going to cost you about $7 to $9 a pop. But Travel + Leisure let us in on a great, albeit little-known tip: You can bring your own booze aboard a JetBlue plane — but there are a couple of catches.
As we previously reported, regulations in most countries prohibit passengers from consuming their own alcohol on an aircraft. The reason why being that it makes it impossible for the flight crew to monitor just how much you’ve had to drink, and when you’ve had enough.
The FAA rule states that you can carry your own alcohol onboard a plane — hello, duty-free shopping! — but you are not allowed to open it yourself. Which is where your friendly flight crew can help. If you want to pop open that bottle of vino that’s sitting in your carry-on, you have to ask a crew member to do it for you. And to serve it to you. Which may seem like a diva-esque request, but it’s the law.
Of course, if you brought a beverage from home, it would need to be a pretty tiny bottle to get through security — but, yes, even nips fall under this rule. According to JetBlue’s guidelines, “If purchased in the secure boarding area, JetBlue will allow alcoholic beverages not more than 24% alcohol by volume, or more than 24% by volume and not exceeding 70% alcohol by volume, when in retail packages, not exceeding a total quantity of five liters per person.” That’s just to carry it on to the plane — whether or not you plan to drink it.
Look just below those guidelines and the airline confirms that, on domestic flights, “You may bring wine, champagne or beer on a flight for consumption during the flight if it is in an unopened container. If you’d like to drink the alcohol you carry on, you may give it to one of our Inflight crewmembers, and they will be happy to serve it to you.”
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility — namely, the power to cut you off if the crew member believes that you may have had a little too much to drink... even if you’ve only had one glass of champagne and have a nearly-full bottle sitting there. So drink as responsibly as you normally would, and don’t forget to raise a glass to this little loophole!
H/T: Travel + Leisure