One frequent flyer is giving away his seats to some supremely lucky travelers this holiday season, and all you have to do to earn your chance to have your flight upgraded to first class is simply commit his face to memory.
No, really. Memorize every detail. It’ll be worth your while.
Gilbert Ott started his “Catch Me If You Can” campaign while jetting around the world in 2017.
According to Travel and Leisure , the blogger went viral for offering travelers the chance to ditch their economy class seats to fly in the lap of luxury (AKA first class). All they had to do was recognize him at the airport.
In total, he upgraded 40 happy travelers. And now he’s doing it again.
This year, Ott is bringing back his viral contest, but now with even more prizes and chances for people to win.
Partnering with Capital One Venture, he’s giving travelers the opportunity to win more than just a flight upgrade — they could also score a free night’s stay at a hotel suite, some tickets to sold-out James Beard dinners, and even more exciting prizes.
Oh, and just so you know, you don’t actually need to have a flight scheduled to win.
This time around, you have even more chances to spot the savvy traveler and win some awesome prizes.
Miss him at the airport? Don’t sweat it. Just keep your eyes peeled because Ott is traveling to New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington D.C.
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He’s giving away keys to some crazy cool hotel suites, like the Penthouse Suite at New York’s Plaza Hotel, the One Hotel in Miami Beach, and the Four Seasons in D.C.
Ott said he wanted to make his contest more accessible to people who can’t afford to travel.
“I asked Capital One to help me book some crazy hotels, and they said yes,” he told Travel and Leisure , “so it enabled me to try and make it more fun for more people across the USA.”
But don’t think you can just wait in a hotel lobby and grab Ott the minute he walks inside.
It doesn’t work that way.
“Anywhere else you find me (a la ‘Where’s Waldo) in the city, airport, subway, whatever is fair game,” he explained.
So don’t go trying to cheat the system, you cheaty-cheaters.
Your first chance to spot Ott and win some cool prizes will be on December 1.
He’ll be flying from Dubai to JFK airport.
After that, he’ll be on various flights from New York to Miami, Miami to LAX, Los Angeles to Seattle, Seattle to Boston, and then Boston to D.C.
Word of advice: spot him before you board the plane, because he won’t upgrade your seats if he’s already heading for his own.
If you’re panicking about not being able to remember Ott’s face and missing out on your chance on the awesome prizes up for grab, don’t worry.
He said he’s also been known to offer upgrades to people showing some super good behavior in the airport.
As he explained, he’s given first class seats to “parents actually playing with their (seemingly) nice kids on the floor, rather than handing them iPads.”
So get to playing with those kiddos. Even if you don’t earn an upgrade, you’ll at least have spent some quality time with your family.
Your final day to recognize Ott will be on December 8 when he flies from JFK to Heathrow via British Airways.
Keep up with Ott’s travels and catch some helpful hints on his Instagram page, God Save The Points . Or, you can also follow the hashtag #WheresGilbert where he’ll be giving eager fans clues as to where (and how) to catch him.
Happy hunting!
h/t: Travel and Leisure
