The middle seat on any flight is arguably the most undesirable, but Virgin Australia is hoping to change that with the launch of its Middle Seat Lottery.
The lottery – launched this week – is a raffle worth about $230,000.
It’s open only to those who sit in the worst seat in the house – the middle seat.
Passengers wedged between their fellow flyers have the chance to win free flights, a bungee jump or a helicopter pub crawl.
For footy fans, there’s the chance to win flights and tickets to your AFL team’s 2023 away games.
‘Doing things differently’
“Virgin Australia is an airline that’s doing things differently and we are having a lot of fun coming up with exciting innovations to make every part of the travel experience more wonderful,” Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said in a press release.
“Now we’re giving our loyal guests the opportunity to win from a prize pool valued at over $230,000 for simply sitting in a middle seat.”
In a recent poll of its customers, Virgin said just 0.6 per cent of people voted in favour of a middle seat.
Ivona Siniarska, a travel industry expert for 1000 Mile Travel Group, told The New Daily she thought the lottery was a great gimmick.
“I don’t know that anyone will ever love flying in the middle seat,” she said.
“I think whether people opt to sit in it just depends on how often they give out prizes.”
Global aversion
Aversion to the middle chair is obviously a global phenomenon, with international media outlets such as CNN, Axios and Fox all running the story of Virgin Australia’s novel publicity stunt.
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson said he was delighted to see the airline charting a new path.
“The passion to make this airline truly wonderful is infectious,” he said.
“It’s fantastic to see the collaboration between Virgin Australia and Virgin Voyages to provide such brilliant prizes for the Middle Seat Lottery.”
The lottery is part of Virgin’s new “brand mission” titled Bring on Wonderful.
The airline wants to scrap the inadequate “have a nice flight” ethos and replace it with the feel-good “Bring on Wonderful”.
“’Bring on Wonderful’ starts with our people – because it’s our people and their incredible dedication to our guests that makes Virgin Australia so special,” Virgin Australia chief marketing officer Libby Minogue said.
Brand overhaul
“We are delighted to create new and innovative experiences for our guests which challenge the status quo and that is what ‘Bring on Wonderful’ is all about,” she said.
“This isn’t just a brand campaign – we are putting words in action to make the flying experience unique and truly wonderful.”
Other “experience enhancements” include a refreshed logo and a new menu complete with “reverse kids meals” where children can have their meals backwards – dessert first.
Ms Siniarska said the marketing campaign pulled at the heart strings.
“Some of us travel endlessly, and some save up and fly once every few years,” she said.
“The experience should be equally wonderful for all, and adding just that bit of difference to how you’re treated will make people smile,
“We’ve all had a less-than-nice two years so I think it’s beautiful that they want to make the journey forward wonderful.”
