Southwest will check wine
Beginning April 24, Southwest will allow passengers leaving select West Coast airports to check one case of wine for free if it's packed in an approved shipping box or wine suitcase that meets checked‑baggage rules. (islands.com) The benefit is location‑limited and depends on using the proper packaging at check‑in. (islands.com)
Southwest will start letting some passengers check a case of wine for free on April 24, part of a new airline program called Sip and Ship. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) The airline said each customer can check one case at no additional charge from “select West Coast locations,” as long as the wine is packed in a standard wine shipping box or a wine suitcase that meets checked-bag rules. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Southwest tied the program to its April 7 launch of service at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. The new Santa Rosa routes connect nonstop to San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, and Burbank. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) The offer arrives weeks after Southwest rolled out checked-bag fees for many domestic travelers. For U.S. mainland trips booked and ticketed on or after April 9, the airline lists a $45 first checked bag and a $55 second checked bag on Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred fares. (southwest.com) That makes the wine exception unusually specific: one case, one passenger, one set of airports, and only if the packaging clears the airline’s normal bag standards. Southwest’s checked-bag policy sets the standard size limit at 62 inches and the standard weight limit at 50 pounds. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) (southwest.com) Food & Wine reported the perk applies to travelers 21 and older and requires airport inspection before check-in. USA Today reported the covered routes are concentrated in West Coast wine-country markets. (foodandwine.com) (usatoday.com) Southwest has not broadly advertised a full airport list on its main fees page, and the April 7 announcement names only “select West Coast locations.” For travelers, that means the free case is a route-specific perk, not a new systemwide baggage policy. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) (southwest.com) The timing gives Southwest a wine-country hook as it expands in Santa Rosa and reshapes other parts of its travel product, including assigned seating and new bag fees. Starting April 24, the airline is effectively waiving one of those new charges for travelers bringing home up to 12 bottles from eligible West Coast departures. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) (travel.yahoo.com)
