Runner-up winner from Taiwan selects Wearable Art Show in New Zealand as part of Round-the-World trip
FRANKFURT, GERMANY – September 12th, 2012 – Congratulations go to Diego M. from Argentina who was closest in finding the virtual airplane in Star Alliance’s 15th Anniversary competition. Having won the top prize – a trip of a lifetime for himself and 14 friends – a group of 15 travellers from Argentina will be heading to Germany on September 15th to say “¡hola!” to the Oktoberfest in Munich.
The trip to one of Germany’s most famous festivals – the Munich Oktoberfest (www.oktoberfest2012.com) - includes return Business Class airfares for 15 people, five star accommodation for five nights, VIP tickets to the Oktoberfest as well as dinner for the group at one of Munich’s finest Michelin star restaurants.
The runner-up prize went to Ms. Hao-Yi C. from Taiwan who has chosen to travel to the World of Wearable Art Show in New Zealand (www.worldofwearableart.com). In addition to the stop in New Zealand, the winner and a travel companion will be able to visit many other exciting destinations as they travel the world on their Star Alliance Round the World Business Class Tickets for two.
15 further winners will be able to enjoy one of the 27 festivals on offer with return tickets for two provided by Star Alliance member carriers.
“I would like to congratulate all winners for taking part in our unique 15th Anniversary competition. The prizes offered reflect the cultural diversity and the network reach of our global alliance. I am certain that all winners and their travel companions will enjoy their unique travel experiences on the Star Alliance network”, said Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance.
Of the festivals on offer, the Wearable Arts Festival was the most popular choice of all the winners, with five out of 17 choosing this prize. The Montreux Jazz Festival (www.montreuxjazzfestival.com) coming in second, with three out the 17 winners selecting this prize.
The other choices made were the Kaapse Klopse, South Africa, Chinese New Year, China, Vienna Opera Ball, Austria, Rio Carnival, Brazil, Kiruna Snow Festival, Sweden, Epidaurus Festival, Greece, Loy Krathong in Thailand and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Croatia.
Of the 17 lucky winners three reside in New Zealand, two each in Argentina, China, Germany and Taiwan, with the remainder living in Canada, Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.
Even though none of the winners are based in the USA, five of them are actually members of United’s MileagePlus Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP), which suggests that this loyalty programme is also attractive to non-US residents. Four of the winners are members of Air New Zealand’s Airpoints FFP which ties in well with three winners being from New Zealand. Air China’s Phoenix Miles and Lufthansa’s Miles & More FFP scored two winners each and in this case the winners actually reside in the respective home markets of China and Germany. Air Canada’s Aeroplan FFP also has two of the winners, with one residing in Canada and one the UK. THAI’s Royal Orchid and US Airways Dividend Miles FFP had one winner each.
Taking part in the competition, which ran from 14 May, 2012 to 14 June, 2012, was simple and did not require any travel. Participants had to guess the location of the virtual mystery plane which was hidden somewhere on the Star Alliance network. Correctly answering three questions on Star Alliance increased the chances of better identifying the exact position of the plane. Participants then dropped a pin on the spot where they believed the plane was sitting with the 17 closest pin drops each winning one of the prizes on offer.
The participant whose pin was placed closest to the aircraft received the top prize, a VIP trip of a lifetime for a group of 15 people.
The second prize was a Business Class Round the World (RTW) ticket for two. The winner was able to select the routing of the ticket (within the rules of the RTW fare for an itinerary of up to 39,000 miles per person) and include a stop at one of the 27 festivals on offer.
A further 15 people won round trip tickets for two to any of the 27 festivals on offer, which are all linked to cultural experiences and traditions of the home countries of both current and future Star Alliance member airlines:
Abu Simbel Festival (Celebrate an Egyptian King’s Birthday), Abu Simbel Temple, Egypt
Chinese New Year, Beijing, China
Chingay Parade, Singapore
Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Epidaurus Festival, Epidaurus, Greece
Ethiopian Music Festival, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Festa de São João, Porto, Portugal
Hwacheon Ice Festival, Hwacheon, South Korea
International Troy Festival, Canakkale, Turkey
Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town’s musical march), Cape Town, South Africa
Kentucky Derby, Louisville, United States
Kiruna Snow Festival, Kiruna, Sweden
Kurentovanje (The masquerade with a traditional twist), Ljubljana, Slovenia
Loy Krathong, Bangkok, Thailand
Mardi Gras, New Orleans, United States
Medellín Flower Fair, Medellín, Colombia
Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal, Canada
Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland
Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori City, Japan