It’s arguably the worst place on the plane – but now there’s $230,000 worth of reasons you might want to opt for the middle seat.
Virgin Australia has launched a new campaign whereby passengers who have either voluntarily – or been slapped – with the middle seat will now enter a ‘lotto’ to win tens of thousands worth of prizes.
The new campaign aims to make the most hated seat on a plane the most desirable by giving guests who sit in the middle seat the chance to win one of the airline’s prizes on offer, with a new prize and winner every week.
There are $230,000 worth of prizes on offer. They include a cruise in the Caribbean with Virgin Voyages, including return Premium Economy flights to the USA with United Airlines, flights and tickets to your AFL team’s away games in 2023, flights to Melbourne plus entry to the AFL ‘Before the Bounce’ pre-game lunch, AFL Grand Final seats and even a helicopter pub crawl extravaganza, including return flights to Darwin.
A large percentage of people would usually never opt for the middle seat when traveling by air. ANP/AFP via Getty ImagesThe airline said the results from a recent survey of Velocity Frequent Flyer members, showed that 62 percent preferred an aisle seat, while 35 percent opted for the window. Just 3 percent of passengers said they were unfussed.
But the airline’s CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said that while it may be the most unpopular seat on a plane, it can have its advantages – such as giving you the chance to meet two people instead of one.
The worst seats on the plane may come with some of the best rewards. AFP via Getty Images“This goes way back, but I was sitting in a window seat and there was a guy sitting next to me, and it turns out the guy’s name was Kelly Slater,” she told News Corp.
“We had this really interesting conversation because he was coming to Australia to train and compete. Much further down the track I realised he was a hugely successful surfer, but he was a really nice, interesting guy. He was in the early stages of his career and he was pretty daunted by the world of possibilities.”
This opportunity is only offered for Virgin Australia. SOPA Images/LightRocket via GettThe lottery can be entered in three easy steps:
1. Be a Velocity Frequent Flyer member, aged 18 years or older
2. Fly in any middle seat on a Virgin Australia-operated domestic flight by April 23, 2023
3. Open the Virgin Australia app and tap the Middle Seat Lottery tile to find your flight and enter your details. Entrants must enter the competition within 48 hours of their flight’s scheduled departure time.
