JetBlue to offer non-alcoholic beer on domestic flights
FILE - A jetBlue airplane heads in for a landing at Boston Logan International Airport. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Travelers on JetBlue will soon be able to enjoy non-alcoholic beer on all domestic flights as more Americans seek out beverages without the buzz.
The airline will serve Athletic Brewing Company’s Upside Dawn Golden beginning this month, the companies announced in a joint statement. Upside Dawn is described as "a bright and light-bodied brew" with "floral and earth notes."
Recent surveys have suggested that a growing number of consumers are interested in the idea of being "sober curious," or a term popularized on social media for actively drinking less alcohol or not drinking at all.
Research published in January found that 34% of Americans intended to drink less in 2023.
Over half (56%) of the non-drinkers surveyed by research firm NCSolutions said the primary reason was simply that they didn’t want to drink, with more women (64%) than men (48%) feeling this way. Health reasons and a history of addiction in the family were also identified as reasons for abstaining from alcohol.
The market for non-alcoholic beverages has also boomed in recent years. Data from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis published in December forecasts 25.4% growth in non-alcoholic offerings in the U.S. through 2026, and 5.9% growth in the low-alcohol segment during the same period.
Athletic Brewing said it developed a proprietary brewing method to craft its non-alcoholic beers. Instead of using an alcohol removal process, the company fully ferments its beverages to be less than 0.5% ABV – which is the legal limit for non-alcoholic beer in the U.S.
FILE - ans of beer are packed at Athletic Brewing’s non-alcoholic brewery and production plant on March 20, 2019, in Stratford, Connecticut. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
"We're excited to take flight with JetBlue and allow flyers to relax at 35,000 feet with a great-tasting alternative to full-strength brews," Bill Shufelt, Athletic Brewing co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. "This is a huge milestone for Athletic and a key partnership for us in the travel industry."
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.