Free checked bag perk appears — with caveats

Southwest Airlines is offering some travelers a free checked case of wine, but only on select West Coast routes and only if the wine is packed the right way. (swamedia.com) The airline said April 7 that its new “Sip and Ship” program starts April 24, 2026, after Southwest began service at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. Each customer can check one case of wine at no additional charge. (swamedia.com) The free case is not a blanket bag waiver. Southwest said the perk applies from select West Coast locations, and the wine has to be packed in a standard wine shipping box or wine suitcase that meets the airline’s checked-bag rules. (swamedia.com) The timing lands days after Southwest raised its standard checked-bag fees. For reservations ticketed or voluntarily changed on or after April 9, a first checked bag costs $45 and a second costs $55, up from $35 and $45. (swamedia.com) Southwest did not remove every free-bag exception when it raised those fees. A-List Preferred members and Choice Extra customers still get two free checked bags, while A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit card holders still get one free checked bag. (swamedia.com) The airline’s fee table adds another condition for cardholders: the Rapid Rewards account number must be included at booking for the free first bag to apply. The same chart says the benefit can extend to up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation. (southwest.com) Southwest tied the wine perk to its new Santa Rosa service, which now connects Sonoma County nonstop with San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, and Burbank. San Diego and Las Vegas flights operate daily, Burbank starts at five days a week, and Denver runs on Saturdays. (swamedia.com) The result is a narrower kind of free checked bag: not the old airline-wide allowance, but a route-specific perk for travelers leaving wine country with a case that fits Southwest’s baggage rules. (swamedia.com)