As my co-worker and I move the drink cart through the cabin I get asked numerous times by various passengers: “What do you have?”
I run through the usual options pretty quickly (because I say it so often): coke, diet coke, sprite, diet sprite, ginger ale, club soda, orange, apple, cran-apple and tomato juice, water, coffee and tea.
And usually, after much deliberation, which holds up the back of the airplane from receiving their drink in a timely manner, the passenger decides on water.
But there’s a new robot in town that will increase the options available, but also lessen the time it takes for everyone to get a drink. It’s called the Skytender.
A few airline passengers in Germany recently got to experience the inaugural flight of the Skytender which can automatically dispense up to 18 different beverage options simply by pushing a button. Skytender has the ability to mix up both hot and cold drinks from prepackaged syrups which means that airlines would no longer have to stock individual drink cans or keep coffee makers in the aircraft galley. Each cart can also carry 30 liters of water so that flight attendants don’t have to go back to the galley for refills or extra bottles of water.
Though the Skytender allows airlines to offer more beverage options to passengers (and in the United States, at most airlines, it’s one of the only “free” items you still receive), and it also speeds up the inflight service because the automated cart pours the drinks for the flight attendants. Airlines could even offer more “premium” beverages for purchase allowing the Skytender to manage inventory.
Though most passengers wouldn’t mind a robot replacing surly and sassy flight attendants, we’re not quite there yet — you’ll still need crewmembers to place a cup under the spout that the drinks are dispensed from.
I can’t help but wonder could this be the start of inflight self service? Can the cart be set up in the aft galley allowing for passengers to obtain their own beverages? I wouldn’t put the idea past some low-cost carriers which may actually entertain it.
But for the time being, if this concept takes off (yes, the pun was intended), you may get to experience a much faster, and refreshing, inflight beverage service. Dare I say maybe even an extra-pass through with drinks or two?
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