Southwest’s free wine perk
Southwest introduced a temporary “Sip and Ship” perk that lets customers check one case of wine for free on select routes after raising checked‑bag fees by nearly 30%. (travelandtourworld.com) (thetravel.com). The benefit applies on certain routes involving Sonoma County, Las Vegas, Denver, and San Diego, but customers and loyalty members have pushed back — critics called a handwritten thank‑you to an A‑List Preferred passenger performative, and reports say Simple Flying is tracking a possible move to restrict overhead‑bin access on the cheapest fares. (travelandtourworld.com) (nomadlawyer.org) (simpleflying.com).
Southwest is giving some travelers a free checked case of wine starting April 24, even as its new bag fees took effect days earlier. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) The airline said the temporary “Sip and Ship” offer begins April 24 and lets each customer check one case of wine at no extra charge if it is packed in a standard wine shipping box or wine suitcase. Southwest tied the offer to its April 7 launch in Santa Rosa, California, at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Southwest’s new Santa Rosa service connects nonstop to San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, and Burbank. The airline said San Diego and Las Vegas flights are operating daily, Burbank starts at five days a week, and Denver runs on Saturdays. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) The timing is tight. Southwest said on April 7 that it was raising first and second checked bag fees by $10 for reservations booked or voluntarily changed on or after April 9. (swamedia.com) That moved the first checked bag to $45 from $35 and the second to $55 from $45 on mainland itineraries, while A-List Preferred members and Choice Extra customers kept two free checked bags. A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit cardholders kept one free checked bag. (southwest.com) Southwest has been reworking more than bag prices. After ending its long-running open-seating system in late January, the airline said in March it was still refining boarding and overhead-bin rules after customer complaints. (thepointsguy.com) The airline told The Points Guy it planned new signage so only passengers in extra-legroom rows could use the bins above those seats, and it said larger overhead bins that hold up to 50% more bags would reach seven in 10 aircraft by the end of 2026. (thepointsguy.com) Separate reports this week said Southwest was studying whether its cheapest fares should lose overhead-bin access, though the published versions available through MSN said they were updated April 12 to include a response from Southwest and did not show a confirmed policy change. (msn.com) Customer frustration has spilled into loyalty messaging too. A handwritten note left for an A-List Preferred passenger drew skepticism online, while other coverage said some travelers saw it as a genuine crew gesture rather than a corporate campaign. (simpleflying.com) For now, the clearest change is the one Southwest has published itself: bag fees went up on April 9, and a free wine case will fly on select West Coast routes starting April 24. (swamedia.com) (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com)
