KLM to Serve Heineken On Flights

One major advantage international flights have over American flights is the option for alcohol onboard. Those who fly KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will soon be rewarded with an in-flight beverage option currently unavailable on any other airline: an ice-cold Heineken draft beer.

The Amsterdam-based airline has been a long-term partner with the widely known and widely consumed Dutch beer brand, and as such the two entities decided to combine the signature brew of the Netherlands with the high skies. Providing this new perk for KLM passengers was no easy feat, though. Low air pressure in the cabin would cause a standard keg tap to produce only foam. Also, a regulation-size beer keg is too wide to fit in the in-flight beverage carts, thus making them difficult to roll down the aisle with the sodas and teas. KLM´s engineers had to get creative.

After years of experimenting with ways to make an in-flight keg service a possibility, Heineken´s innovators developed the perfect product to make draft beer a reality at 36,000 feet. Beginning this fall and pending safety and civil aviation certifications, the draft version of the beer — the more preferable serving method among beer connoisseurs — will be available on select flights. Proost!