In 2006, Air New Zealand introduced grabaseat, an online fare retailer offering ‘ludicrously low’ domestic fares.  Providing the airline an ingenious way to play in the cut price space while maintaining its premium values, grabaseat delivered an exciting way for travel-loving Kiwis to buy a ticket.  Grabaseat quickly established itself as a daily check-in point for anyone looking for extraordinary flight deals.

In the competitive landscape of late 2007, Air New Zealand saw the opportunity to reinforce their innovative position with existing advocates and harness that advocacy to engage a whole new batch of grabaseat enthusiasts.

In a boldly unconventional move, grabaseat offered the chance for someone to captain an Air New Zealand plane for a day, flying forty of their friends to a destination of their choice within New Zealand. The idea captured the imagination and participation of more than 150,000 New Zealanders, ultimately connecting with 6% of Kiwi adults.