Etihad tries to patch up its Extraordinary Challenge. The prize money goes up, but you still risk being left holding the bag
Etihad relaunches its challenge: over 20 million miles up for grabs for world's fastest travelers
Etihad Airways
La Extraordinary Challenge of Etihad Airways has become even more extraordinary. After the overwhelming enthusiasm that accompanied the initial launch, the Etihad Guest loyalty program has decided to up the ante: over 20 million miles up for grabs and new winning categories to reward hundreds of travelers.
It all started with a 15-destination run...
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Created as a competition for true globetrotters, the challenge rewards the top three travelers who manage to visit 15 of the new destinations launched by Etihad. The cities involved in the challenge include: Addis Ababa, Algiers, Atlanta, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Krabi, Medan, Peshawar, Phnom Penh, Prague, Sochi, Taipei, Tunis, and Warsaw.
- 5 million miles to the first
- 3 million to the second
- 1 million to the third
A dream haul that can be converted into about 40 flights in First Class, 70 in Business or even 500 Economy tickets, as well as a slew of prizes in the Etihad Guest shop. But given the boom in participation, to date over 50,000 members, But especially the many criticisms received Etihad has decided to change the regulations by going to reward even those who do not aim for the podium but are still ready to travel.
In a nutshell, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates realized that the dilemma, of so many potential participants, was just to stay dry, and now things have changed, but certainly nothing comparable to similar challenges where the prize is given to everyone not to the top performers.
Interim rewards arrive (but not for everyone)
With the introduction of the category The Extraordinary Milestones, Etihad offers new opportunities:
- 25,000 miles to the first 100 members who visit 5 new destinations
- 100,000 miles to the first 100 who complete 10 stages
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
The whole thing, of course, combinable With the main prizes. Basically: if you finish first after completing all 15 routes, you could earn up to 5,125,000 miles.
Basically with the introduction of milestones in Roman memory, the loyalty program will also reward those who achieve intermediate results, quite similar to the challenges of SAS or Miles&More's that I am participating in, Here again, however, it will not be for everyone, but only for the first 100 to cross the finish line.
Etihad's word
"We have seen an incredible response from all over the world since the launch of the Extraordinary Challenge and we expect over 50,000 registrations as new destinations are opened,"
stated Mark Potter, Managing Director Etihad Guest At Etihad Airways.
"Given the desire and determination of so many members, we wanted to reward even more who fly Etihad, giving wings to their ambition with millions more miles and more than 200 potential new winners."
How to participate
The challenge is open to all, both new members and long-standing members of the Etihad Guest program. To sign up, simply go to etihad.com/extraordinary, register and start flying. Each city visited unlocks a digital stamp visible in a customized dashboard-to be shared on social media to show one's progress in the race for glory.
Winners will be determined according to the GMT departure time of the last valid flight, and in case of tied finish, the reservation date of the last useful flight (and so on backwards until a winner is determined). The flaw is just that it is a possible challenge, but a high risk of disappointment.
In conclusion
I confirm my decision not to participate in this challenge, unlike the Turkish Airlines challenge that I decided to take part in., the premium is tempting, but the risk of not paying back the investment is very high, of course the new features are improving, but the same argument still applies: if I decide to buy all these tickets I have to be "sure" not to hope that I booked 3″ before another user.
