As we close participation of the 6th annual Global Traveler Business Class Wine Survey and the over 20 years I have run such a contest, I would like to cover the reasons (some very funny) why some airlines do not participate. Top Ten Reasons Why Airlines Decline Participation 1. Some can’t stomach the chance that they will not do well. Imagine all the marketing efforts spent on telling the world that they have the best wine and food and then they do not rank in the top ten. 2. Some individuals fear for their position if they do not fare well. Airlines pay a great deal of money to their wine experts, and, frankly, their position can be determined by the outcome. 3. Some airlines are so overburdened that they find the gathering and shipping of the wine and the menus too much for them. They have too many tasks and not enough people, so it slips through the cracks or is intentionally avoided. 4. With the cutbacks since 9/11 and now with the global recession, many airlines have downgraded their wines to save costs. Many now have taken the opposite approach, but others still feel their wines are not as competitive. 5. Some feel they cannot trust our survey, that it is somehow slanted toward a particular carrier. 6. We have actually heard one airline say that their wines “did not travel well.” 7. A few airlines are changing their wine selections and do not want to submit their past selections. 8. Some carriers seem to be unable to figure out how to pass the wines through U.S. customs, as their wines originate from their head offices overseas. Other international carriers seem to have no trouble with this. 9. Others feel that their regional wines cannot compete with the best that the French and California vineyards produce. Many have suggested that we have regional divisions, creative menu awards and specialty wine sections. 10. A limited few change their wines so frequently that they are unable to supply the corresponding menus that are required to verify that the wine is served on board. Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO