Trump’s Tariffs Could Put a Cork in Champagne at 35,000 Feet For Delta and United’s High-Flying Premium Passengers

The Trump administration’s tariffs couldn’t have come at a worse time for U.S. airlines hoping to attract high-spending premium passengers by investing in luxury amenities, and one classic Business Class treat could be on the chopping block sooner rather than later… Champagne.

Since the COVID era, major U.S. carriers like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have been remarkably thrifty when it comes to investing in quality wines in their international premium cabins despite the fierce competition on many routes.

But just as both of these airlines were starting to see the benefit of investing in well-known brands synonymous with quality in the sparkling wine category, Trump’s tariffs could upend this addition to the inflight experience for premium passengers.

For context, in January, United introduced Laurent-Perrier’s La Cuvée Champagne on all Polaris business class flights, while Delta introduced Taittinger Brut Reserve in its Delta One Business Class cabin on long-haul flights the following month.

Both are popular and well-known Champagne brands that help to elevate the onboard experience … but, at what price?

No doubt, Delta and United would have worked hard to secure the very best deals to bring these brands on board, and no doubt, Laurent-Perrier and Taittinger would have been amenable to offering deep discounts for the exposure of having their brands placed in front of well-heeled international travelers.

Adding at least 10% to the purchase price could, however, be enough to make the math no longer work. A tariff of 20% (as Trump initially proposed on European imports before the 90-day pause) would put the airlines and Champagne houses under even more pressure.

From a Trump administration standpoint, forcing U.S. carriers to drop French wines in favor of locally produced wines is half the point of the tariffs (depending on what argument Trump is making on any given day).

Of course, it’s not just the additional cost of tariffs that could mean that U.S. carriers are forced to drop prestigious French brands for Californian bubbles.

Delta has already admitted it’s in cost-cutting mode as economic uncertainty weighs on demand for travel – especially on domestic routes and in the Main Cabin. United isn’t expected to release its Q1 results until later this month, and it will be interesting to see how the carrier spins the current environment.

So far, airlines, including Delta, have seen relative resilience in demand for premium cabins and international routes, although some of the most recent data to come in, sure does make for alarming reading.

On Friday, the Financial Times reported new data that revealed that the number of visitors to the US from Western Europe had dropped by an astonishing 17% in March.

On a global scale, the number of international visitors to the US dropped by 12% in March 2025 compared to the same month in 2024.

The aviation industry will be hoping these figures are more down to the timing of Ramadan and Easter in 2025 rather than a sign that travelers simply aren’t interested in visiting the United States because of President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.