Southwest isn't bringing back inflight booze until at least 2022

Southwest does not plan to resume onboard alcohol sales until at least January, according to a memo sent to flight attendants on Friday. The timeline is tied to the extension of the federal mask mandate on airplanes and at airports. "With the mask mandate being extended to January 18, 2022, there are no current plans to bring back alcohol prior to January 2022," Randall Miller, senior manager of inflight ops, initiatives and design said in the memo. American Airlines made the same decision in August, when the mandate was extended because of the spike in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant. Southwest and American are the only two major carriers still not serving alcohol in economy class. (American serves it in first class; Southwest doesn't have a first class.) Southwest was the first major US airline to suspend traditional inflight service at the beginning of the pandemic to reduce interactions between passengers and flight attendants. In May, Southwest announced plans to start selling inflight cocktails, beer and wine again beginning in late June.<br/>