KickStarter has seen many weird campaigns like raising $10,000 for a giant 50-foot long serpent or $50,000 for a Robocop statue in Detroit, but the latest campaign reaches a whole new level of ludicrosity.
Ben Schlappig, an aviation and travel aficionado who has reviewed "every single A380 first class product currently in service" has started a KickStarter campaign to fund a $20,000 one-way-trip ticket to travel in Etihad's upcoming "Bed and Bath" flying apartment suite!
Etihad Airways, a growing Middle-eastern airline, announced last Sunday that it was introducing luxury suites, swapping them for first class travel seats on their Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jets.
Each suite is going to be a 125-square-foot space with three rooms - a living room with a partitioned mini-bar and lounge area, a private bedroom for two that can be closed and a private shower area as well. What's more, there is a lobby outside and separate prayer area for Muslims, which is fitted with an electronic device that points to the direction of the Mecca! Each cabin also gets a personal butler.
Etihad expects to roll out its "suite" flights by December this year and the flight will carry passengers from Abu Dhabi to London. It plans on launching New York and Sydney routes soon.
"These new living spaces will raise inflight product and service standards to their highest level yet in commercial aviation and alter air travelers' expectations of inflight comfort and luxury forever," James Hogan, Etihad Airways' president and CEO said in a statement.
Schlappig thinks the whole flying-suite thing is "ridiculous." Apparently, his readers urged him to review the new "Bed and Bath" Etihad flying experience and asked him to start a KickStarter campaign and so he did!
Here is how Schlappig is pitching it:
"It's totally ridiculous and there are so many better ways you can spend your money. At the same time, people spend money on entertainment all the time, and if this is something that you think would amuse you...
If a few thousand people pitch in the cost of a movie ticket we'd certainly be there. But you shouldn't contribute based on that, or on doing something for me, or for any legitimatish reason.
Seriously. And my feelings won't be hurt if you don't. This is quite possibly the most ridiculous Kickstarter campaign ever, and I figured it would be entertaining if nothing else."
Fair enough. Schlappig's KickStarter campaign has already garnered 400 backers and $11,230 from the pledged $25,000.
