Korean Air to launch its own branded lager

Korean Air has debuted a new offering in the air – Lager. Time to take a look, and see what you might be drinking either on the ground or in the air.

Korean Air has worked with an award-winning Korean brewery, Playground Brewery to introduce its brand – ‘KAL’s Lager’

According to the airline, the beer embodies a delightful harmony of tropical fruit aromas and a refreshing taste, delivering a smooth and enjoyable drinking experience. The lager is packaged in a can that captures the excitement of travel, featuring an aircraft soaring in the blue sky.

I’ll be the one wanting a can of that after that description. 

KAL’s Lager will be available at Korean Air’s lounges at both Incheon and Gimpo International Airports, with it in the lounges since the 27th of July. The airline’s customers will be able to enjoy the beer onboard from September.

For those in South Korea who wish to enjoy it on the ground,  KAL’s Lager will also go on sale exclusively at Emart24 convenience stores and on its mobile application.

And yes there’s a loyalty angle too – with Customers being able to accrue one mile per KRW 2,000 when their total purchase amount is over KRW 10,000 at Emart24. From July 27 to September 30, customers who buy over KRW 10,000 worth of canned beer including KAL’s Lager can earn additional Korean Air SkyPass miles.

Not the first airline, but not the last 

Developing co-branded beers and items is not a hard thing for airlines to do – find the right partner, develop a relationship or design something to specification, then sell and distribute. 

This can be seen with British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more recently, Porter Airlines. 

It’s an interesting twist in the in-flight beverage option, where there is minimal chance to brand yourself (and if you remember Virgin Cola, sometimes you can get it horrendously wrong). 

We’ll have to see if I can get a can smuggled out of the country, or if I need a few days in Korea…