Lufthansa is searching for a Swedish resident who will agree to start a whole new life in Berlin, all at the expense of Lufthansa. The only sacrifice the candidates are to make is to change their real first name to Klaus-Heidi, which is a compilation of two popular German names.
A person who agrees to such a switch will get a one-way ticket plus two free domestic flights to Frankfurt and Munich to explore the country, a paid two-room fully furnished 70 m2 apartment (see it on Airbnb), a bike, language lessons for a year, and more. All the benefits and rules are detailed on the site of the effort.
To win the competition, entrants are to change their names to Klaus-Heidi, come up with the legal proof of the change (a new ID) and also share their motivation behind the relocation. The first participant who delivers the pack with the proof and the best explanation will be chosen as the winner and will become a new Berliner. Both men and women aged 18 and older are invited to participate in the competition that is running from October 11 through November 28.
The promotion was inspired by two facts: the first is that Sweden is one of the countries where residents often change their names, and the other is that Swedes do love to come to Berlin—budget flights to Berlin are popular among the Swedish travelers. Currently, over 3,000 Swedes already live in Berlin.
“There’s a lot of competition right now with flights to Berlin. We think the reason to fly there should not just be that it is cheap, but that it is a wonderful place to visit. So we didn’t want to talk price, we wanted to do something out of love and humour,” commented Magnus Engvall, senior marketing specialist at the airline, commented to The Local. “This is only a competition for Swedes, but there’s a huge interest from other markets as well. I’ve gotten so many emails from Norwegians who also want to participate.”
Those who don’t want to legally change their names still can benefit from the effort. Lufthansa is inviting people to adopt a new matronymic on Facebook to receive a 500 SEK voucher to use it next time they book a flight with Lufthansa. The offer is available for Swedish residents only.