Alaska Airlines has expanded its Wine Flies Free program, allowing Mileage Plan members traveling from selected airports to check one case of wine (12 bottles) free of charge.
“Wine and food are major reasons people choose their travel destinations,” said Natalie Bowman, managing director of marketing and advertising for Alaska Airlines. “Our Wine Flies Free program helps guests explore the country’s top wine regions and easily bring their favorite bottles home.”
The program’s popularity prompted Alaska to grow the initiative from 11 West Coast airports to 29. The airline partners with regional winegrowers’ associations, wineries and tourism boards to raise awareness and support local producers across those regions.
“The Santa Cruz Mountains American Viticultural Area is essentially Silicon Valley’s backyard wine region,” said Megan Metz, executive director of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association. “By expanding Wine Flies Free, Alaska Airlines makes it easier for visitors to come to our thriving wine region and return home with a taste of the Santa Cruz Mountains at no extra cost.”
Participating cities include the following:
- California: Burbank (BUR)*, Fresno (FAT)*, Los Angeles (LAX)*, Monterey (MRY)*, Oakland (OAK)*, Ontario (ONT)*, Orange County (SNA)*, Palm Springs (PSP)*, Sacramento (SMF)*, San Diego (SAN)*, San Francisco (SFO)*, San Jose (SJC)*, San Luis Obispo (SBP), Santa Barbara (SBA)*, Santa Rosa (STS)
- Idaho: Boise (BOI), Lewiston (LWS)
- Oregon: Eugene (EUG), Medford (MFR), Portland (PDX), Redmond (RDM)
- Washington: Bellingham (BLI)*, Pasco (PSC), Pullman (PUW)*, Seattle (SEA)*, Spokane (GEG)*, Walla Walla (ALW), Wenatchee (EAT)*, Yakima (YKM)
* Denotes cities newly added to the program.