A Plane Full Of Southwest Passengers Got A Free Switch And Mario Maker 2

A plane full of lucky passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight got more than a bag of pretzels on their trip to San Diego. They received a free Nintendo Switch system and a copy of the recently released Super Mario Maker 2, perfect for staying occupied while hurtling above the earth in a metal tube.

The first indication of the giveaway came from Nicholas Friedman, a social media manager at Funimation, who posted about it on Twitter. GameSpot confirmed the giveaway with Southwest Airlines, which said it partnered with Nintendo for the promotion. An image shared by Friedman shows a voucher, which he said could be redeemed for the system and game when the passengers land.

This isn't Nintendo's first cross-promotion with Southwest. The airline also gave away Wii U consoles, and the original Super Mario Maker added a special airline-inspired course, complete with a special costume to unlock.

The Southwest promotion was well-timed. It came just as Nintendo made a flurry of other announcements regarding upcoming hardware and software. A revised Nintendo Switch with better battery life is coming in mid-August in the U.S., new Joy-Con colors were announced, and Luigi's Mansion 3 got a holiday release date. Plus this is all coming shortly after the announcement of the portable-only Switch Lite.