PORTLAND, Ore., April 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Oregon Wine Month, the Oregon Wine Board, Travel Oregon and Alaska Airlines have partnered to bring back the Oregon Wines Fly Free program. Beginning May 1, visitors traveling from Oregon on an Alaska Airlines flight can check a case of Oregon wine for free. Oregon is the first state to partner with the airline on a statewide wines fly free program. More than 250 Oregon wineries joined the program in 2013.

Oregon Wines Fly Free has been extended to a year-round program after beginning as a two month test last fall.  The pilot program was so popular that Alaska Airlines has renewed the program for a year.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members may check one case of wine free on their return flight out of four Oregon airports. In addition, passengers showing their Alaska boarding passes within a week of their arrival in Oregon will receive complimentary tastings at any of more than 300 participating Oregon wineries. Customers may join the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for free at www.alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines offers nonstop service to Oregon's most popular wine regions, including the Willamette Valley via Portland and Eugene, Ore., the Rogue Valley via Medford, Ore., Central Oregon wineries via Redmond, Ore., and Eastern Oregon wineries via Walla Walla, Wash. Alaska Airlines is also an official partner of Feast Portland, the flagship food and drink festival in the Pacific Northwest from Sept. 18-21, 2014.

"Oregon Wine's partnership with Travel Oregon and Alaska Airlines was a tremendous success in 2013 and we're expecting the new program will be even more successful," said Tom Danowski, executive director of OWB. "We had more than 250 wineries participating in the program in 2013 and with the interest it generated then, our goal is to have more than 300 wineries participate in the yearlong program."

"Partnering with the Oregon Wine Board and Alaska Airlines on the Wines Fly Free program is a fantastic way to encourage people to choose Oregon as their next vacation destination," said Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon. "Wine lovers get a taste of Oregon's scenic beauty and terroir in every bottle of award-winning Oregon wines. Once people get a taste of Oregon, and can share more than just memories with their friends and family, we know they are likely to return."

"Our goal is to help our customers explore more – whether through travel or even through their wine palates," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "We're thrilled to offer our customers nonstop service to the West Coast's greatest wine regions, while enabling them to bring a little piece of vacation back home."

The promotion applies to departures from four Oregon airports – Medford, Redmond/Bend, Eugene/Springfield, Portland, as well as Walla Walla, Wash.

For more information and list of participating wineries, visit www.oregonwinesflyfree.org.

About the Oregon Wine Board
The Oregon Wine Board is a semi-independent Oregon state agency managing marketing, research and education initiatives that support and advance the Oregon wine and wine grape industry. The Board works on behalf of all Oregon wineries and independent growers throughout the state's diverse winegrowing regions. The Oregon wine grape and wine industry contributes more than $2.7 billion in economic activity to the state economy each year, including more than 13,518 wine-related jobs and $382 million in wages. www.oregonwine.org

About Travel Oregon
The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, works to enhance visitors' experience by providing information, resources and trip planning tools that inspire travel and consistently convey the exceptional quality of Oregon. The commission aims to improve Oregonians' quality of life by strengthening economic impacts of the state's $9.6 billion tourism industry that employs nearly 94,000 Oregonians. www.traveloregon.com

About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, offers more nonstop flights (serving 40 different destinations), more daily flights (123 a day) and more California service (40 flights daily to 13 California destinations) from Portland International Airport than any other carrier. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines