Southwest Airlines has tapped Peet’s Coffee as its official in-flight coffee partner starting August 13, 2025. I’ll drink to that!

Southwest Airlines Selects Peet’s Coffee As Official In-Flight Coffee Partner

Beginning August 13, 2025, Southwest will start serving Peet’s Coffee on all flights with beverage service. This marks the first time Peet’s has partnered with a major U.S. airline.

The onboard offering will be Peet’s “Off the Grid” medium roast, made from Colombian and Salvadoran beans. It replaces the Community Coffee Signature Blend that has been served on Southwest flights since 2016.

Peet’s already has a presence in 25 airports served by Southwest, including major hubs like Denver (DEN), Houston (HOU), Phoenix (PHX), and San Francisco (SFO). Per Soutwhest, this brand alignment allows for a more consistent experience across ground and air….though I’ll reserve final judgment until I try it: using high-quality bottled water is critical when making coffee.

Southwest says the upgrade is part of its ongoing push to improve the onboard experience, complementing other changes like new fare bundles and evolving seating policies (which I’ll address later today).

Peet’s CEO Eric Lauterbach called the partnership a “defining moment” for the brand, while Southwest EVP Tony Roach said, “A great cup of coffee goes a long way in creating a comfortable and enjoyable flight.” I’d say this is a defining moment for Peet’s and Roach’s comment is also correct.

To celebrate the launch, Southwest and Peet’s will host a co-branded event with free samples at Peet’s East 8th Street location in Chicago on August 15–16, during the city’s annual Air and Water Show.

To recap:

• Start date: August 13, 2025
• Served on: All Southwest flights with beverage service
• New coffee: Peet’s “Off the Grid” medium roast (Colombian & Salvadoran blend)
• Replacing: Community Coffee Signature Blend
• Peet’s airport presence: 25 Southwest-served airports including SFO, DEN, HOU, PHX
• Launch event: August 15–16, 2025 in Chicago

CONCLUSION

This move marks another step in Southwest’s effort to modernize the customer experience. Whether this will resonate with loyal flyers remains to be seen, but I’m quite happy to see the coffee upgrade. You can find me at Peet’s Coffee near my home every Friday morning I am in town at 6:00 am for Bible study…the cortados are quite acceptable, and I’m sure the coffee on Southwest will represent an improvement over the current blend.

images: Southwest Airlines