The End of Free Drinks?
#61
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: BWI
Programs: Marriott LTT, WN A, Hertz PC
Posts: 575
FYI: The Inflight Menu is always available as a pdf download here. (Note that it's sometimes isn't updated immediately.)
#62
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: WN, DL, UA, AA, Hilton, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 1,303
Yesterday, the FA tried to charge me for my first drink, in spite of it being a free drink day (St Patrick's day). He backed down when I showed him the drink menu but I found the whole thing surprising.
#63
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Rapid Rewards, AAdvantage, SkyMiles
Posts: 2,931
Was talking with the FA before my flight and mentioned that my birthday is tomorrow. Fast forward to drink service she initially takes my coupon but she remembered it was my birthday tomorrow so she handed the coupon back to me.
#65
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,964
Yeah, no. Every other flight at best nowadays I have to actually hand over a coupon. I'm starting to accumulate them faster than I can spend them.
#66
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
If the question is "The end of Free Drinks?", and you're still getting them nearly half the time, it certainly appears they're still giving out free drinks.
#68
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,964
#69
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
On 8 recent flights, with 4 drinks purchased, 3 were ultimately charged. On 2 of them it was the very last thing the flight attendant did prior to landing was swiping my Southwest Credit Card (I would hope they would see it was a Southwest card and wave it off, but no luck).
#71
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,964
... just anecdotally:
SJC-FLL-SAN, 7/'18: 0 coupons on the way there, 3 drinks. 1 coupon on the way back, 3 drinks
SJC-MDW-SJC, 9/'18: 0 coupons outbound, 4 drinks for two people. 0 coupons return, 4 drinks for two people.
I've gotten in the habit of handing out Kick-Asses before deplaning to FAs who let me drink my head off on "long"-hauls w/o even asking for coupons
SJC-FLL-SAN, 7/'18: 0 coupons on the way there, 3 drinks. 1 coupon on the way back, 3 drinks
SJC-MDW-SJC, 9/'18: 0 coupons outbound, 4 drinks for two people. 0 coupons return, 4 drinks for two people.
I've gotten in the habit of handing out Kick-Asses before deplaning to FAs who let me drink my head off on "long"-hauls w/o even asking for coupons
#72
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver
Programs: SWA - A-list, AA Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 86
I haven't seen a free drink since the first of the year. Typically, I'm between Denver and Dallas, but also between Denver and SoCal a few times. As a side note, I almost always order doubles, but this last time I only had one coupon and just ordered a single (Jack on the rocks). I'm pretty sure they brought me a double anyway. I'm wondering if I've been wasting coupons ordering doubles?
#74
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ATL
Posts: 1,919
edit: SMF-ATL this past SUN, the FA took the cc at the time of order