Trips with surprise destinations: understand this type of tourism
You will only know your destination when you get there: this is the travel proposal offered by some airlines around the world
By Casacor
Submitted at May 12, 2024, 7:00 AM
05 min de leitura
Would you board a flight without havingany idea whereit would land? The letter codes usually present on the boarding pass would be marked with the letter " X" , the flight plan would be hidden from the airport travel boards and the pilots would be the only ones on the plane who knew the destination. Basically, that's howDestination Unknown was born.— in Portuguese, Destino Desconhecido —, a campaign launched in February 2024 by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).According to the airline, within minutes of announcing the offer, more than a thousand applications had already been registered, and by the end, that number had grown to 6 thousand. Only participants in the points-accumulating program could participate in the promotion, which charged 30 thousand miles for themystery ticket. Due to the limited number of seats on the plane, a lottery was held to select the travelers who could embark on this adventure.
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The company's email newsletters were specially encrypted so as not to reveal anything about the trip. On April 5, the flight left Copenhagen and, two hours after takeoff, still had no destination set. Some time later, passengers discovered that they were heading to Athens, Greece. Upon landing in the city, the travelers were able to stay at the hotel where SAS had pre-negotiated special rates.
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TheLufthansa Surprise, made by the German airlineLufthansa has a similar program, but adds two differences: passengers can select their departure airport — Frankfurt/Main or Munich — and also choose a theme for their vacation, such asParty On,Urban AdventuresandArts and Sights.The destination possibilities are presented on the website and are numerous, encompassing different European cities such as Ibiza, Santiago de Compostela, Istanbul, Paris, Verona, Stockholm, among many others.
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There are also reports of this initiative inAustralia, where trips are operated byMystery Flights, with flights departing from Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney airports and, upon request, in Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle and Canberra. There are 21 possible destinations, with transfers included and accommodation packages that can last up to three nights. After landing at the destination, the company provides some tourist information about the destination, but it is the traveler who really decides the itinerary.
