Enjoying a pint of beer before your flight at the airport is a popular holiday tradition for many, but passengers at Manchester Airport are increasingly turning to non-alcoholic or low-alcohol alternatives. Consumer trends data from Manchester Airports Group (MAG) – owner and operator of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports – has found that customers are making more health-conscious choices at the airport.

Sales of non-alcoholic beer have increased significantly. MAG reported a 16.9 percent increase in its three airports compared to last year. The biggest increase was at Stansted’s Comptoir Libanais, where the number of non-alcoholic beers sold increased fivefold. Stansted’s Wetherspoons recorded a 45 percent increase.

However, the traditional glass of sparkling wine, lager or wine before the flight will not disappear, because compared to the previous year, beer sales in the first six months of the year rose almost as much as passenger numbers, namely by around nine percent.

READ MORE: Manchester Airport reports record July as 3.2 million people fly for school holidays

Manchester-based brewery Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co, which operates beer halls in Middlewood Locks and MediaCityUK, Saford and Ancoats, has opened its partner bar in Manchester Airport’s new T2 departure hall. They have noticed a change in passengers’ drinking habits as they avoid an “overly alcoholic experience”.

Keith McAvoy, CEO of Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co., said: “Since opening, we have seen a real shift in the demands of airport travelers. Now that the pandemic is finally behind us, our customers increasingly want to start their vacation at the airport. The departure lounge is – now more than ever – part of the vacation experience. People want good food and the beer cannot be generic.

“We’re seeing an increasing demand for vegan dishes and culinary variations on classic pub fare. People also don’t want bland or overly alcoholic experiences – our food pairings with craft beers, for example, have proven very popular this year and we’ve seen an increasing demand for lower-alcohol beers.

“Of course there will always be people looking for an all-day breakfast, a commercial lager or a cocktail, but people appreciate the fact that we are a local brewery – a part of Manchester in the airport. Those who like our venues in the city but don’t get there as often as they’d like can start their holiday in one of our bars in the airport. They see it as a reward and we hope it adds value to their holiday, so it’s really important to offer them the beers and food that suit their needs.”

Elsewhere, trends indicate a preference for vegan cuisine. At all three MAG airports, sales of vegan breakfasts and brunches have increased by more than 20 percent year-on-year, and at Giraffe at Manchester Airport, sales have increased eightfold. The Smoky Vegan Chilli served at the Windmill in London Stansted is particularly popular, with sales up 167 percent year-on-year, while the vegan hot dog at Lion & Antelope in Manchester has increased by 90 percent.

The increasing demand for dairy-free alternatives among coffee lovers is also being seen among travellers, particularly those catching an overnight flight first thing in the morning. Overall, sales of dairy-free products are up 10 per cent, with the biggest increase seen at Costa Coffee’s Manchester branch, where sales increased by a quarter. The most popular alternative is oat milk (60 per cent), followed by soy milk (17 per cent) and coconut milk (13 per cent).

In terms of consumer trends, promoting good ‘gut health’ has come to the fore recently. MAG data shows that sales of products containing the word ‘gut’ have increased by 102 per cent year-on-year, with WH Smith seeing a tripling of sales of gut health shots.

Richard Jackson, retail director at Manchester Airport, said: “Some products and menu items will always be popular at an airport and we continue to see sales increase in line with growing passenger volumes – but there’s no denying the growing popularity of things like 0% beer, gut health shots and vegan brunches. There’s a huge range of different passengers using the airport and so it’s important that our outlets offer varied menus – by doing this, we’re hopefully giving people what they need to get into the holiday spirit as quickly as possible.”

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