We thought that
Virgin might allow its most loyal patrons to exchange frequent flyer points for trips to space, and now it looks like they hope to jump-start the process with a seriously stacked contest. In Australia, the company is now counting 'Velocity Points' as entry to a drawing where you could win 25 million frequent flyer miles -- or exactly the amount you need to get yourself a space flight for two. Oh, and if you have no interest in ever looking like that chap pictured above, Virgin will also let you exchange them for a pair of Alfa Romeo vehicles, the chance to explore the planet "how you see fit" or a $170,000 shopping spree.
Update: We got this story a little turned around initially, as you can see -- this is for a contest to win 25 million points, not an offer open to anyone who
has 25 million points (though it's assumed if you've got those kinds of numbers, you can head to space too).
[Via
VideoSift]
posted Feb 2nd 2009 9:37AM
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Nice picture. I would explore the planet as I see fit.
Awesome, I've always wanted to go!
Why did he take the surfing board into space ??
He looks like a witless douche bag!!!!
looks hot to me
das boot looks like a witless douche bag!!!!
@pubeless
no need to get nasty now. simply because men don't acknoledge you doesnt make its my fault. btw thats a gross name.
I'm pretty sure that's Sanjaya...
Where's the chap pictured above? :o
He is in space, right now looking like that, and do you know how he got there?
25 million Virgin frequent flyer points.
Better get flyin´!
Thats not that bad considering a japan flight in coach can be like 100K
And 7,000,000 Pepsi points buys you a harrier (A steal at $0.10 per point).
Didn't someone actually obtain all those Pepsi points and sued Pepsi for not giving him the plane?
Uhmm.. yeah, he tired... http://frank.mtsu.edu/~lburriss/harrier.html
Yeah, smart. Anybody at virgin got a clue what carbon footprint 25M miles of air travel has? About 4988 metric tons of CO2.
You're killing me, lars. I suppose you would prefer to travel 25M miles on foot?
yeah, lars! You know what the carbon footprint is on all those shoes you'd wear out via 25 million miles on foot? Not to mention all the real footprints!
How often would you have to fly and how far to obtain his amount of points?
Approximately 2,275 round trips from LA to London should do the trick assuming it's a point per mile. If you make that trip once a week it will take you 44 years and cost $1,137,500 assuming you fly coach at today's prices
That's actually a pretty good price :p
But I bet it would be easier to just go to the company and buy a ticket straight into space :p
Dear Photochopper - his head needs to be just a wee bit larger, don't you think?
Dear WhyFi - space suits are frakking huge.
I think he really is in that spacesuit.
Now, is this a roundtrip ticket, or is it one-way only?
Haha. Nice one!
But 25 million points is only a one way ticket. You need another 25 million points to get back :p
You should get those reasonably soon once you're in orbit. ;)
But Virgin Galactic's craft don't orbit anyway, they just fly up and fall back down.
If Virgin Galactic ever becomes reality it will be a surefire way to get yourself killed in a brilliantly original way.
Not so original.
wouldnt you have to spend most of your natural born life on a plane to earn 25 million points?
anyone know how many SF to NYC trips that would take?
According to my calculations, you'd have to fly economy from London to New York and back 2500 times. Or (and this scenario may be more likely) from Dubai to Miami in first class 638 times.
FYI, doing the Miami-Dubai trip just once would cost $8,958. Making your space trip cost 5.7 Million.
Its only around the world 1004 times.
The circumference of the Earth is about 40,075km. That is 24901 miles.
25million / 24901 is about 1004 trips around the Earth, sealed in an aluminum cylinder (or carbon fiber if/when the 787 goes online.)
I think I would rather take out a 2nd mortgage on my house.. It would probably cost a lot less and give me more time to enjoy life..
I think you stand a chance to win 25 million frequent flyer points which you can then exchange. Not that you need 25 million points. Then again I could have read wrongly.
In spite of the pictures of various demographics smiling in their space suits, the only person that would ever accumulate that many points is a very rich quite old business man.
Just like all the other space tourists.
Richard Garriott's only 47. I wouldn't consider that "quite old."
He is in all likelihood quite a lot closer to death than birth.
only 24,944,000 or so to go... Soon, very soon.
Umm, isn't this old news? As far as I know they've had this offer out for awhile (ie over a year...)
Can I exchange 2M Delta Skymiles for Virgins?
Uh oh.. what did I just say?
The point is, Virgin encourages travellers to increase their carbon footprint at a completely different order of magnitude than shoe manufacturers (or even car makers) do. Granted, few of us would have the means to take that bait, but I think my point is still valid:
Check out this other page from the site:
http://media.25millionpoints.com.au/prizes/index.html
Where's the suit for the dog??? He'll die up there.
Hey Richard. Sort out your piss poor Virgin Media service before you start tackling space would you?
test
It's a contest to win the points. And its open to Australian only, sadly.
Awh Man!
I Only Have 24 Million.
Think They'll Let Me In?