With just eight seats for passengers and two for the pilots, getting a ride in the Goodyear Blimp often only happens by invitation to a lucky few, a few times a year.
But now the tire company is offering one person and their guest the chance to win "a once-in-a-lifetime flight" aboard the blimp through Goodyear's new “Golden Ticket” Sweepstakes.
"A ride aboard the Goodyear Blimp is one of the most exclusive experiences in America and is not available for public purchase," Goodyear said in a statement. "Through the Golden Ticket Sweepstakes, Goodyear is giving consumers a rare opportunity to take flight on the brand’s legendary airship."
The best part is you do not have to purchase anything to enter. Through Oct. 15, people can enter by completing
an entry form on www.goodyear.com free of charge, a Goodyear spokesman told the Detroit Free Press.
But, if a person does need tires and buys a set of four Goodyear tires from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 through Goodyear.com, they will automatically be allotted one entry per tire unless the consumer opts out from entering the Sweepstakes during the checkout process.
A person can also enter by buying a set of four tires from any Goodyear Auto Service location between now and Oct. 15. In that case, that person will receive a card with a QR code that will take them to the official entry form on Goodyear's website and entitle them to complete the form and receive one entry per tire.
The winner will receive a flight certificate for two passengers, redeemable at any of Goodyear’s three U.S. airship bases:
- Akron, Ohio
- Pompano Beach, Florida
- Carson, California
Goodyear spokesman David Bemer said the drawing is expected to take place around Oct. 30 with one winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries.
The winner will get a Goodyear Blimp ride certificate valid for one year and the winner chooses from which base they want to launch from as well as selecting the date for the ride. But the ride date is subject to availability, weather, operational conditions and Goodyear scheduling, Bemer said.
The Goodyear Blimp was most recently in the Motor City on Aug. 14 to mark the Woodward Dream Cruise as well as celebrate the opening of the tire maker's new store in Detroit, the Goodyear Motor City Garage, located on East Grand Boulevard.
Goodyear's original plan for the Dream Cruise was to have two blimps in the area, which would have been the first time in nearly 20 years that Goodyear would have "double blimped" the Dream Cruise. But the engine on the other blimp had a mechanical problem that could not be fixed in time to get it to Detroit, so there was just one blimp this year, just like last year.
Goodyear hosted a small group of journalists during its cruise above Woodward on Aug. 14. To read about what it's like to go up in one before you apply for your Golden Ticket, read "High above the Woodward Dream Cruise, it's me in the Goodyear Blimp."
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer for USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Goodyear offers a chance to win 'Golden Ticket' to ride in the blimp
