Dive Brief:
- The slice of lime that would have decorated drinks served on airlines in the past is now missing due to the skyrocketing prices of the citrus fruit.
- Alaska Airlines, which normally uses about 900 limes a day, pulled them from its offerings.
- United Airlines is also cutting back on limes, often substituting lemons, though it hasn't cut them out altogether.
Dive Insight:
Lime prices have reached a three-year high as a result of a severe shortage. There are a lot fewer Mexican limes on the market as a result of a double-whammy: violence from drug cartels and flooding. Last month, some Mexican restaurants started cutting back on limes, sometimes also substituting them with lemons. Of course, the substitution doesn't work in all cases, and there may be some people who don't enjoy their flight quite as much without the twist of lime. For those who just can't stand doing without, for now Delta Air Lines and American Airlines say they haven't made any changes to their drink service.