Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Service Offers A Tasty Upgrade You Can Buy In Grocery Stores
Southwest Airlines has been rolling out some major changes, most of which are not popular among loyal customers. Earlier this year, Southwest Airline's latest luggage policy change did away with their iconic offering of two free checked bags per passenger. Now, most customers will have to pay for a service that used to be complimentary. This new policy along with the airline's big seating change is sparking controversy. Long gone are the days of open seating. Because of these changes, many loyal customers said they will be taking their business elsewhere. However, the airline just announced yet another change that may help soften the blow — at least for coffee lovers.
Starting now, Southwest Airlines will start serving Peet's Coffee on all flights that offer a beverage service. This also happens to mark the first time this popular coffee chain has partnered with a major U.S. airline. According to Southwest, this change from their usual Community Coffee Signature Brand is in an effort to give customers a more consistent experience on the ground and in the air as Peet's Coffee is located at 25 airports that Southwest flies into. Southwest Airlines coffee lovers can look forward to Peet's medium roast coffee called "Off the Grid," which is a Columbian and Salvadoran blend. And if you decide you love this coffee and want to have it off the airplane, you can likely find the exact blend at your local grocery store.
Will this be enough to keep Southwest customers loyal?
Since the initiative just rolled out, time will tell if a good cup of coffee is enough for Southwest customers to overlook the fact that some of the perks they knew and loved are no longer available for free. However, according to a thread on r/SouthwestAirlines, some frequent flyers are happy with this change. "For once, here's a change I can 100% support," said one commenter. "Finally some good news," echoed another. But as other commenters pointed out, airplane coffee is not always the best.
Some users pointed out that no matter the brand, you may want to skip the coffee on your next flight. Drinking coffee or even tea on airplanes can pose potential health risks. Some flight attendants have revealed that onboard water tanks are rarely cleaned and may contain contaminants. Some aircraft have also failed government-issued water safety tests that revealed the presence of bacteria. So while this new change in coffee supplier may seem appealing, it may not even be used by that many people. It's up to individual customers to decide if it's enough to stick with Southwest.