JetBlue is making two significant changes to its inflight service process in the coming months. The carrier will switch from Coke to Pepsi for the complimentary beverages in “Core” economy class. The carrier will also transition away from the single-serving mini water bottles to a poured offering from 1.5L bottles. The changes will begin to fly in early June 2019. The news was shared via email with inflight crew today.
The move is described as bringing “our Customers exciting new product options they’ve asked for, while also fitting more offerings on to our carts, brining sustainable benefits and controlling growing costs.” Starting on 3 June 2019 JetBlue will offer:
- Pepsi
- Diet Pepsi
- Sierra Mist
- Sierra Mist Zero Sugar
- Bubbly Lime Sparkling Water
- Canada Dry Seltzer
- Canada Dry Tonic
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Juices from Apple & Eve will also join the lineup. Coke Zero, Sprite Zero and Fuze Iced Tea products are being phased out and will not be replenished as stocks are depleted. Coffee and tea on board will remain Dunkin. Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary mix will also survive the changes.
For passengers who prefer water on board the carrier will now “Pour in Core” using 1.5L bottles rather than the individual bottles that were previously passed out. This move is far more ecologically sound and will significantly reduce weight and waste. It should also help free up a bit more overhead bin space as the catering supplies can be better stocked directly on the carts. Pouring into individual cups will also likely increase spills, but it is just water. The transition from Dasani to Aquafina will take until Q1 2020, with Creekside Springs water filling the gap for some of that time.
These beverage selections are the initial pass at setting a service that will meet the needs of passengers, inflight crew and the airline’s accounting office. Expect to see some of the selections shift over time as part of promotional efforts or longer-term tweaks to the project.
Finally, thanks to the cart-based service, the carrier will also adjust the service timing on its shortest flights. The express service will now include snacks and drinks at the same time rather than two separate runs through the cabin.
Worth the risk?
Shifting the on-board beverages can be risky move in the aviation world. United Airlines faced significant passenger frustrations from its FrehBrew coffees over the years. That carrier’s plans to remove tomato juice from the cabin were similarly poorly received when announced a year ago. In both cases the carrier eventually changed its offerings.
In this case it is unlikely that JetBlue will change things beyond these plans in the short term. The company plans additional marketing efforts with PepsiCo as part of the transition. And further streamlining the cart-based service should be a welcome improvement for inflight crew. The need to return to the galley for refills was one concern expressed through that transition period.
Broader implications
Could the Pepsi shift spread beyond JetBlue? Coca-Cola has long dominated the inflight catering market, with the occasional deviation from some airlines. This deal gets PepsiCo products into a significant number of airports and could help the company gain the necessary experience and processes to expand. Or it could just be a one-off. But it is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
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Any other airlines that use Pepsi onboard? Can’t ever remember a time where My request for Coke was countered with “is Pepsi ok?”
Coke absolutely dominates the industry. I think I’ve seen Pepsi every now and then over the years but cannot remember any specific examples so maybe I’m just imagining things.
Northwest was Pepsi only.
Not happy @ all about the changes JetBlue is making to their beverages served on any/ all flights ! I’m not going to get water in a plastic cup that’s open & sitting on a cart until it’s used up. I don’t drink coke or Pepsi, only ginger ale once in a while. Aquafina water is made from the most poluted river in NJ ! I’ve done reasearchnon all bottled waters & Aquafina is bad. Evian water has sulfites in it, not safe @ all ! figi is very safe & tastes good. Poland spring, deer park & nestle pure life are all made by the same parent company! What’s wrong with serving them? Every large company is all about doing less on their delivery of services to cut down on expenses ! Cheap becomes expensive ! So watch what you delete in cost cutting measures, you might lose/ anger travelers with your change in “ inflight” services”… I fly JetBlue 10-12 times a year! I’ll be forced to drink a bottle of water before I Board any JetBlue flight & then discard the bottle in a trash bin before I board my flight. I haven’t seen any passengers wasting any small Dasani water bottles in any flights ! Most people even ask for 2 bottles during a flight! Why don’t you focus on how your flight attendants look ! Most are overweight & hair/ makeup sloppy, their uniforms are tight fitting due to gaining so much weight. Women should have neat , clean & appropriate hair styles, male attendants should also not be bulging out of their uniforms as well. Have senior administrative employees fly on some flights & observe their employees attire, attitudes, & interactions with passengers ! Help & positive changes starts within your fixing the internal workings , not cutting costs on “ in flight services, food& beverages”
You almost had me there, right up to the point where you started complaining that you don’t like the way the crew looks.
Beyond that, the plastic cups are far less wasteful than the mini bottles. And you already should be bringing your own (reusable, filled in the terminal) bottle of water on board so that’s an easy fix.
And since you only drink ginger ale anyways I doubt the shift from Seagrams to Canada Dry will affect you much.
Safe travels.
I just think its sad to have my water sitting in an opened cup until I get to finishing it off. Not a good move at all by Jet Blue. Budget Airline.
[…] noted by Wandering Aramean, JetBlue will be making the switch from Coke products to Pepsi products as of June 3, […]
I love the idea of pouring from the big bottles, from an environmental standpoint, but…if they’re pouring into plastic cups, is it really more ecologically sound?
Yup. The total plastic used is way less. There are other packaging benefits, too. And there is still potential for future improvements. But this is a solid first step.
After 25 years of serving Coke on UA, the response to shifting to Pepsi was very un-welcomed by our passengers. Right on down to a mixed drink such as a Jack & Coke. Few ever wanted a Pepsi over a Coke.
[…] JetBlue is switching from Coke to Pepsi that’s never a move you make for the benefit of customers, Pepsi is clearly offering an attractive enough financial package that it doesn’t matter to the airline what passengers will think. […]
First Costco, now JetBlue? Coke needs to step up their game apparently
I’m trying to think of airlines that served pepsi..
Northwest comes to mind.
ATA?
Didn’t American offer BOTH for a while? (they still have Dr. Pepper, right?)
I remember when Alaska served Jones Cola! <3
Air Tran used to have *4* different types of water on board…
Good move on dumping the little bottles of water. Such a huge waste of energy and plastics!
Yes, American had both for some time, but that was also a while ago.
they really should offer bottled water; more sanitary than pouring from a community bottle; cups get spilled easily and i like to keep the bottled water for the full flight
I’m not so sure about the sanitary claim. The spill bit I’ll buy, though.