Airline launches lottery, encouraging passengers to take the middle seat

• Virgin Australia has launched a social media campaign to persuade passengers to reserve the middle seat on their flights.
• According to a recent poll, only 0.6% of people prefer sitting in the middle of the aisle.
• That’s because it does not provide a window view or convenient access to the bathroom.

The middle seat on a plane is without a doubt the least preferred location to sit because it does not provide a window view or convenient access to the bathroom.

According to a recent social media poll by Virgin Australia, only 0.6% of the more than 7,500 people surveyed prefer the middle seat, or perhaps more likely, unintentionally voted for it.

If the airline’s plan to persuade travelers to reserve the feared middle seat is a success, that number may soon rise.

The Middle Seat Lottery, a unique lottery worth around AUD230,000 (or $145,000), has just been introduced by Virgin Australia. And only individuals who freely or involuntarily take the middle seat on a flight are eligible.

According to a news release from Jayne Hrdlicka, chief executive officer of Virgin Australia Group, “Virgin Australia is an airline that’s doing things differently and we are having a lot of fun coming up with interesting innovations to make every part of the travel experience more amazing.”

Now, we’re offering our devoted customers the chance to win from a prize pool worth more than $230,000 just for choosing a middle seat.

Free flights, a helicopter pub crawl, and bungee jumping are among the prizes.

Any Velocity Frequent Flyer member who is seated in a middle seat and is 18 years of age or older can use the airline’s app to sign up for the lottery from now until April 23, 2023.

The lucky draw winner will receive a different reward every week. Among the creative prizes up for grabs are a two-night vacation in Cairns that includes flights, lodging, and a bungee jump, as well as a full-day helicopter pub crawl (with return flights to Darwin).

There are flights and tickets to the Australian Football League Grand Final available to supporters, in addition to special access to the pre-game lunch and post-game celebration.

Travelers may also win a few restored, themed gallery carts in addition to Virgin’s “Platinum Velocity” frequent flyer status for a year, one million more Velocity Points, and other prizes.

On October 24, when the announcement was published on the airline’s social media pages, some readers agreed that it is a “great strategy,” while others claimed that nothing could ever persuade them to sit in the middle seat.