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Bringing booze back: Southwest is latest airline to resume alcohol sales

Alcohol sales will resume mid-February.
Southwest Airlines
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Passengers will soon be able to buy booze on Southwest flights.

The airline is bringing back alcohol sales starting February 16 on most flights.

Beer, wine, rum, tequila and vodka will be available on trips that are at least 176 miles long.

This comes after Southwest paused alcohol sales for nearly two years.

Southwest stopped serving alcohol and other services in March 2020, when the pandemic was just beginning.

It had extended the break on booze when there was a surge of disruptive passengers.

The airline’s flight attendant union, TWU Local 556, said selling alcohol on flights while there are mask mandates in place was “unsafe and irresponsible.”

The vice president of customer experience and customer at Southwest, Tony Roach said in a news release, “customers have expressed a desire for more beverage options, so we're delighted to restore additional on-board offerings as a part of the Southwest hospitality that our customers know and love.”

Southwest will also bring back non-alcoholic beverages.

Other airlines have also restarted their alcohol sales.

United resumed sales of hard liquor in November.

Delta brought back beer and wine to the Main Cabin on some domestic flights last April.