Alaska Airlines Board Rooms May Soon Be a Mecca for Wine Lovers
Customers are surprised and delighted with the opportunity to sample premium drinks
Alaska Airlines Board Rooms may soon be a Mecca for wine lovers as well as travelers looking for a relaxing place to wait for a flight.
With the recent launch of the Featured Winery of the Month program, the airline is partnering with a different Washington vintner each month to host a complimentary tasting of some of the finest vintages the state has to offer. Vinesse, Alaska's Mileage Plan wine partner, also will host tasting events to showcase its wines. Members can earn Mileage Plan miles by joining the Vinesse wine club and buying wine through the program.
"Board Room visitors will have an opportunity to sample a selection of premium wines, interact with winemakers and wine experts, and enjoy complimentary light hors d'oeuvres," said Rick Rasmussen, director of customer loyalty and marketing programs.
Following the tastings, wines from each featured winery will be available for purchase by the glass throughout the month in the Seattle and Anchorage Board Rooms. Prices will range from $5 to $10 per glass. Many of the wines being sampled are available only in specialty wine shops and restaurants. Some retail for more than $50 a bottle.
"Before the official launch of the program, we hosted several tastings in our Seattle, Anchorage and Los Angeles Board Rooms to gauge customer response," said Melyssa Schug, manager of airport club rooms. "Customers were surprised and delighted with the opportunity to sample premium wines. The program already has increased membership in our wine club."
Among the featured wineries that have participated so far are DeLille Cellars of Woodinville, Wash., which sampled its Doyenne 2006 Aix, Red Mountain and Grand Ciel wines in the Seattle Board Room in early June. The Doyenne Aix was listed among the top 100 wines of 2008 by Wine Spectator magazine.
Eric Dunham, the award-winning winemaker at Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash., hosted a tasting of his Three Legged Red blend and Lewis Valley chardonnay in the Portland Board Room in early June. Dunham plans to visit the Seattle and Anchorage Board Rooms later this summer. L'Ecole 41 and Chateau St. Michelle also have hosted tastings in Alaska's Board Rooms.
"No other airline offers complimentary ultra-premium wine tasting and the chance to meet world-class winemakers in its airport lounge, so our new program is truly unique and North of Expected," said Jeri McGarity, manager of airport club rooms.
