Come Fly with Me

Covering the world of wine means being conversant with agriculture, soil geology, climate and weather, along with appreciating wine and the processes of its creation. I’m learning that this “beat” crosses other boundaries as well into areas like business (see my B Corp piece) and, now, tourism. Here’s a piece I wrote for the Oregon Wine Press about Alaska Airlines’ Wine Flies Free program. Here is a link to the version that appears on OWP’s website.

Source: OREGON WINE BOARD

The phrase “a flight of wine” may bring to mind a row of glasses lined up in one of Oregon’s many tasting rooms.  But for passengers on Alaska Airlines, a wine flight means you can take Oregon wine with you without worrying about additional baggage fees.

Begun in 2013, Alaska’s Wine Flies Free program is available on any of the airline’s flights departing from 32 airports in Oregon and the neighboring states of California, Washington and Idaho. Passengers, age 21 and older, are welcome to bring along up to a case of wine (12 bottles weighing 50 lbs or less), checking it through as they would any checked baggage.  It is important that the wine be securely packed using a sturdy case or box with styrofoam, cardboard or bubble-wrap packing material.  Most winery tasting rooms can make these materials available for their customers.

Passengers using the service must first enroll in Alaska’s Mileage Plan (membership is free) and add their plan number to their flight reservation.

Wine Flies Free is a partnership between the airline, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Wine Board (OWB), along with similar organizations in the other participating states.  OWB provides support through various forms of print and online advertising to increase awareness of this popular program.  It also has organized over 300 Oregon wineries that offer complimentary tastings to Alaska’s Mileage Plan members who present boarding passes from within the past 10 days.  (A directory of participating tasting rooms and a Frequently Asked Questions page are available at www.oregonwine.org)

By all accounts, Wine Flies Free is popular with wine lovers.  The OWB web page that describes the program received over 3,000 page views in the first six months of this year.  Personnel at the airports that Alaska Airlines serves share that guests “love and take advantage of the program.”  Christopher Sawyer, a California-based sommelier and wine educator, is a fan: “To buy wines in Oregon and bring them back down here… it's an advantage that's hard to beat,” he said.

The benefits are obvious for Oregon visitors wishing to take wine home.  But others find the service useful as well.

Wine Flies Free is a boon for wineries because shipping wine is complicated and costly.  Each state has its own legal requirements and there is the chance of hot or cold weather taking a toll on wine in transit. “We encourage customers to take wines back with them but realize that carrying wine can be difficult when getting through the airports,” said Chris Loxton of Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, Calif.  He points out that visitors to his Sonoma County tasting room are able to fill a shipping box by consolidating purchases made at his and neighboring wineries.  “Customers are happier and, for small wineries trying to survive in challenging times, it makes us happier too!”

Marlynn Schotland, a Portland-based food, wine and travel blogger (UrbanBlissLife.com), often uses the Wine Flies Free program.  Because the program extends beyond Oregon, its benefits are useful in both directions.  “Anytime I travel to other West Coast wine destinations, especially for work, I always bring back at least a case of wine,” she said.  “As a wine enthusiast and frequent flyer, I am so grateful Alaska Airlines continues to offer this service!”

Alaska Airlines and the Oregon Wine Board look forward to continuing the program into the foreseeable future.  According to an airline spokesperson, no changes are planned as Alaska continues to “deepen our relationships with the wine growers, producers and consumers in the markets we serve.”