Why you’ll want to book the middle seat on your next flight

We all have our seat preferences on flights. Some of us want the window seat so we can admire the view, others want the aisle seat so we can have more leg room, and some of us just want to avoid the middle seat at all costs.

Middle seats are often considered the least desirable and can leave passengers feeling trapped and uncomfortable.

According to a Virgin Australia survey, less than 1 per cent of passengers wilfully choose the middle seat when they fly.

The data revealed that 62 per cent of Velocity Frequent Flyer members who nominated their seat preference favoured the aisle, 35 per cent the window. The remaining 3 per cent said they were fine with any seat.

Read: Making the most of the middle seat

Well, Virgin Australia is hoping to change your perception of the middle seat with its new Middle Seat Lottery campaign. From now until 23 April 2023, customers who either select or are assigned a middle seat when flying with Virgin Australia will have the chance to win some amazing prizes totalling more than $230,000.

Prizes up for grabs include:

1. platinum Velocity Frequent Flyer Status plus one million Points
2. a cruise in the Caribbean with Virgin Voyages, including return premium economy flights to the USA with United Airlines
3. flights and tickets to your AFL team’s away games in 2023
4. flights to Melbourne plus entry to the AFL ‘Before the Bounce’ pre-game lunch, AFL Grand Final seats, a pre-game boundary line experience, merchandise and entry to the AFL Grand Final after party
5. a helicopter pub crawl extravaganza, including return flights to Darwin
6. Cairns adventure package including accommodation, return flights, and a range of thrilling adventures.

To enter the lottery, simply open the Virgin Australia app and tap on the Middle Seat Lottery tile. You’ll then be able to find your flight and enter your details. Entrants must enter within 48 hours of their flight’s scheduled departure time.

Read: How to avoid getting stuck in the middle seat when flying

To celebrate the launch of the Middle Seat Lottery, Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka surprised an entire flight of unsuspecting travellers flying on VA219 from Melbourne to Adelaide on 24 October, with each guest seated in a middle seat receiving a Virgin Voyages sailing valued at up to $9300. Virgin Australia ensured no-one went home empty-handed, offering each aisle and window seat passenger 10,000 Velocity Points.

The Middle Seat Lottery is just one facet of Virgin Australia’s ‘Bring on Wonderful’ campaign, which includes growing its fleet by more than 60 per cent, hiring thousands of new team members, launching better value airfares in comparison to the airline’s nearest competitor, a commitment to target net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and refreshed menus.

Read: The middle-seat survival guide

“Virgin Australia is an airline that’s doing things differently and we are having a lot of fun coming up with exciting new innovations to make every part of the travel experience more wonderful,” Ms Hrdlicka said.

“We’ve only just touched the tip of the iceberg in what’s possible and there’s so much energy right across Virgin Australia to make sure we are doing our best to leave a positive difference every time our guests fly with us.”

So next time you’re dreading being seated in the middle on your next long-haul flight, remember that there’s now a chance that it could turn out to be a lucky experience!

Which seat do you choose when you fly? What do you think of the Middle Seat Lottery? Let us know in the comments section below.