American is getting into wine business

American Airlines Group Inc. is trying to sell some of the wine it’s not pouring on flights by offering bottles for home delivery.

The company is aiming for $40,000 in sales through its Flagship Cellars program this quarter, said Alison Taylor, American’s chief customer officer. Wine usage on its jetliners has tumbled 80 percent amid an unprecedented travel collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic, American said in an email Thursday.

The Fort Worth-based carrier hasn’t been selling alcohol in its coach cabins during the pandemic as part of an effort to limit contact between passengers and flight attendants. In addition, sales of premium seats across the industry have been hammered by a plunge in business travel.

Under the program, customers can select from collections of mixed wines, build a custom box or purchase a monthly $99.99 subscription for three wines, including delivery. Buyers also can earn miles in the airline’s rewards program.

• Air France-KLM’s Dutch arm is cutting as many as 1,000 jobs on top of 5,000 shed last year in a sign the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Europe is pushing airlines to take more drastic measures to survive the pandemic. The measures will mean the carrier will have to cancel about 60 percent of remaining flights.