Air Chilling:
Air chilling is the process of using blast chillers to chill the meat. It takes specialized facilities and is more expensive & time consuming.
Air chilled meat & poultry offers more concentrated flavor, better texture, and better marinade absorption.
Water Chilling:
It is common practice in the US for poultry & rabbit cuts to be chilled in cold water because it is cheaper. The meat absorbs water during this process, which dilutes the flavor and adds excess water weight.
From an environmental perspective, it also creates a lot of contaminated waste water.