Delta Air Lines is introducing a new baggage initiative, offering certain passengers the chance to transport a case of wine for free when flying back from certain vineyard destinations in California. The Golden State is known for its winegrowing prowess and attracts beverage enthusiasts from around the world. Now, bringing your wine wares home is about to get a little bit easier.
Indeed, the Sip, Savor & Fly With SkyMiles program will let eligible members of the Atlanta-based legacy carrier and SkyTeam founding member check a case of wine for free when flying home after their Californian adventures. Delta is following in the footsteps of several other major US airlines that offer similar setups, and it recently launched a new onboard wine program.
Wines Fly Free
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Delta’s new program applies to flights out of five Californian airports: Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sonoma County. From these airports, passengers flying to destinations within the US who are 21 or older and have an active SkyMiles membership can check a case of up to 12 750 ml bottles of wine for free.
Delta notes that the case may weigh no more than 50 lbs (23 kg) and must also fit within the “standard checked baggage size limits of 62 linear inches.” This initiative is designed to save passengers the hassle of shipping their wines home separately after visiting California vineyards, with Delta hoping it will make it their carrier of choice for such trips.
“Whether you’re visiting Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Livermore County, or other wine destinations, Delta makes bringing your favorite wines back home even easier,” the carrier explained.
The Move Follows The Rollout Of A New Wine Program At Delta
Credit: Delta Air Lines
The last few weeks have been a busy one for Delta when it comes to wine news. Indeed, the airline announced on September 16 that it had launched a new onboard wine program. At the time, it said this would let it “bring Napa icons and global classics onboard.” Separately, the carrier began rolling out Champagne Taittinger in Delta One on domestic routes on October 1.
Delta explained that the latter move was “building on the success of customer reaction to Champagne Taittinger poured on International Delta One” and in its Delta One lounges. For the wider new onboard wine program, the carrier whittled down a shortlist of about 1,600 wines to just 13, sourced from 11 different winery partners, with Napa at the heart of it.
That said, some of the wines Delta chose also had an international flavor. On this front, three are from France, along with two from Spain and one from New Zealand. With taste sensations working differently in the sky, Delta notes that its selection is “curated for approachability at 35,000 feet,” making the wines easy to appreciate even for novice wine drinkers.
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The news comes about a month after the carrier’s Detroit catering partner, DO & CO, shut down its facility due to allegations of a listeria outbreak.
Other US Carriers Have Also Offered Similar Initiatives Over The Years
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Given California’s rich winemaking pedigree, it is unsurprising that Delta isn’t the only major US carrier to deploy a ‘wine fly free’ program to gain market share in this valuable leisure market. Indeed, Simple Flying reported in 2024 that Avelo Airlines rolled out a similar initiative, starting at Sonoma County Airport (STS) and later expanding across thewestern US.
That same year, Simple Flying also reported onAlaska Airlines’ offering on this front, which is available from a whopping 34 different airports. These facilities stretch from Bellingham, Everett, and Seattle in the Pacific Northwest to San Diego in the far southwest of California. Certain inland airports are also included in the initiative, such as Spokane, Washington, and Boise, Idaho.
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