Delta to begin serving drinks on flights again, but alcohol will be more expensive

Delta is preparing to offer in-flight beverages again, though it's looking like alcohol will cost a bit more. 

Kyle Potter of Thrifty Traveler and Twitter user @GoldboxATL have confirmed a "streamlined" snack and beverage service will be rolled out on April 14 on Delta's domestic flights. 

Delta is one of the last major U.S. carriers to bring back in-flight beverage services, with American and United bringing back the option months ago, while Delta stuck with prepackaged snack boxes and limited other services on domestic flights. 

According to Thrifty Traveler, citing a memo to flight attendants, Delta will resume offering coffee and tea, as well as mini soda and juice cans, sweet and savory snacks, and ice upon request. Alcoholic beverages — domestic and craft beer, spirits, wine and craft cocktails — will also be available, at a cost of $1 more than before. 

However, Delta is being a little tight-lipped about the changes. In a statement to Bring Me The News, Delta only said: 

"We know our customers are excited to enjoy our in-flight snacks and beverages again and we’re busy preparing a new onboard experience that they will love. With Delta’s redesigned service, improved processes and refreshed offerings, one of the small changes is the pricing of alcohol on board. We continue to offer complimentary alcoholic beverages to customers in First Class and Comfort+ cabins and are excited to introduce some new alcoholic beverage offerings to customers later this year. Partnering with Mayo Clinic, we continue to evaluate ways to improve the delivery of our in-flight service as we maintain a steadfast focus on safety."

One of the new beverages is canned cocktails from Atlanta-based Tip Top Cocktails, which are being added to the menu to keep contact minimal and ease service onboard. 

This news comes as Delta recently began testing tap-to-pay technology on international flights, enabling contactless payment for onboard purchases. 

“At Delta, we think big, start small and scale fast to improve the experience for our customers,” Chief Customer Experience Officer Bill Lentsch said in a news release earlier this month. “Not only will these new features provide peace of mind in the pandemic era by reducing touchpoints, they’re a key element of our vision for easing every step of the travel journey.” 

These are the latest efforts from the airline, which is the largest carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, to keep people safe while traveling during the pandemic. Others include blocking middle seats and limiting onboard capacity for flights departing through April 2021, requiring masks, and frequently replacing onboard HEPA filters.