Southwest lets wine fly

Southwest Airlines will let travelers check one case of wine for free on select West Coast flights starting April 24. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) The airline tied the new “Sip and Ship” perk to its April 7 launch in Santa Rosa, at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. Southwest said its new Santa Rosa service connects nonstop to San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver and Burbank. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Southwest said each customer can check one case at no extra charge if it is packed in a standard wine shipping box or wine suitcase that meets checked-bag rules. The carrier has not posted a broader public route list on its main site, but outside reports say the first eligible cities include Santa Rosa, San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver and Burbank. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) (chron.com) The timing lands in the middle of a baggage-policy reset at Southwest. On itineraries booked on or after April 9, the airline lists first-checked-bag fees of $45 and second-checked-bag fees of $55 for Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares, while Choice Extra still includes two free checked bags. (southwest.com) That makes a wine-case waiver more concrete than it sounds. A traveler bringing home a 12-bottle case from wine country can avoid the standard first-bag charge, as long as the package fits Southwest’s checked-bag requirements and the route qualifies. (southwest.com) (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Southwest is also following a path Alaska Airlines has already built on the West Coast. Alaska’s “Wine Flies Free” offer covers departures from 32 airports in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, though it is limited to Atmos Rewards members and applies to one properly packed case of up to 12 bottles weighing 50 pounds or less. (alaskaair.com) The Sonoma launch gives Southwest a 14th California airport, according to the carrier. Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s chief operating officer, said the airline paired the new airport with the wine-check offer as part of its push to add more California destinations. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) For travelers, the pitch is simple: fly into wine country, buy a case, and bring it home without paying the usual bag fee. Southwest starts that offer on April 24, just 17 days after its first Santa Rosa flights took off. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com)