Eurowings has launched a competition with an unusual prize: not a flight or a holiday, but a name — the winner's first name painted prominently on one of the airline's Airbus A320s. Four people will get the honour, chosen from public nominations across Europe.
The campaign, called "Name a Plane", is framed as a thank-you to ordinary people who make life easier for others. Eurowings is asking entrants to nominate someone whose everyday kindness or commitment has made a difference — a parent who holds a family together, a friend who shows up, a volunteer or club stalwart. CEO Max Kownatzki summed up the idea by noting that small, everyday gestures often make the greatest difference, and that the airline wants to give those contributions a very visible form of recognition.
The rules are simple. Nominations open on 21 September 2026 and close at 23:59 on 11 October 2026, submitted via the competition page on Eurowings' website. Entry is free, limited to one per person, and both the nominator and the nominee must be at least 18 and live in Europe. The form asks for contact details plus a written explanation of why the nominee deserves consideration.
There are some privacy guardrails worth knowing before you write. Eurowings asks entrants to describe actions and qualities only, using just the nominee's first name — no addresses, employers or contact details, and nothing about health, religion or sexuality. If your nominee is shortlisted, the airline will contact them, and their agreement is required at every further stage, including having their name painted on the aircraft or their story published. So quietly nominating a shy friend won't automatically out them; they get a say.
Selection isn't a random draw. After entries close, the airline reviews the stories and makes an initial shortlist, then a jury picks the four people whose nominations best fit the campaign's spirit of recognising help and kindness. The winners and their stories will be introduced in December 2026. One caveat for dreamers: the rules don't guarantee a specific aircraft, route or how long the name stays on the plane, and only first names will appear — not the stories behind them.
For travellers, this is a low-effort, no-cost way to give someone meaningful recognition, with the fun bonus of potentially spotting their name on an A320 at an airport gate. If there's a person in your life who quietly does the heavy lifting for others, the nomination window in autumn 2026 is the moment to put it into words.
Story via Travel Tomorrow.
