Emirates Airline has launched a fascinating auction, with proceeds benefiting a good cause. I’m curious just how much money will be raised.
Continue reading: Emirates Auctioning Skywards Platinum Status, With Rare Membership Numbers
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
"It’s interesting how the membership numbers really seem to be driving the bids here, as the number 7000000000 is currently worth nearly five times as much as 6000000005."
In the UAE, it is all about symbolism. If you are spending this kind of money (and you have this much money), of course you will try to go for the one that has the best symbolism (or the one that fits you the best).
In UAE license plate auctions, one that has a lot of zeros typically go for the most money. This is why 700-0000-000 is bidding for so much more than 600-0000-005. The first one seems more exclusive, while the second one seems to be rare, but not dominating like the first one. I find the psychology behind these numbers to be fascinating.
Personally, I'd go for the 777-7777-770. This is Emirates were talking about, and I'm an avgeek, so 777 for the win (707 would be my second choice.
Would love to know the significance of these sequences of numbers and what's causing some to be way higher than others!
Rich Emiratis competing against other rich Emiratis to try to impress each other. That’s what I think most of this will be, other than as a way to reward or gift their favorites without it being some insanely expensive watch, supercar or something like that.
For these prices, it should 5-20 years for an unlimited flight pass not for 5-20 years for status in their frequent flyer program. Do not know how anybody can be interested in this. Maybe for people for people who fly EK every week but these people already have platinum status organically due to all the flying in EK.
Sounds like we need to go after the global kleptocracy. Like, more. And, better. A lot harder.
The person who can drop $250k on this promotion likely flies private. It's not about the tier status. It's about having license plate #1.
Spending $50-60k in F/J per year will earn Platinum organically. Those who can are after service, not upgrades. Flying in F/J already affords many of the perks Platinum would provide. Yes, there are a few incremental benefits Platinum would provide. But, they're just icing on the cake. A polite token of thanks.
People bidding on these probably don’t even fly commercial. It’s for the flex, and I suppose when once in a blue moon taking their jet isn’t possible. A flight pass would be limited in utility, and might even decrease the prestige.
symbolism is a polite way to say vanity.
symbolism implies culture and some level of history, yet you forget that the uae has almost none of that these days. it's a concrete tax haven playground for illicit activity and foreign non-sense
These sequences of numbers were chosen for either having significant meaning in the numbers and/or because they look visually appealing (that is why the repeating ones are as such). The following is my interpretation. If anyone has other thoughts, please feel free to correct me/comment.
211-1111-111
- Visually appealing.
600-0000-005
- Multiple zeros looks nice and is sought after (same with license plates in the UAE - lower numbers are more expensive). The 5 at the end makes the number seem a bit more rare (that's my opinion though).
700-0000-000
- Many zeros is sought after (as I explained in the previous number combo).
699-9999-996
- The number is a mirror image, which looks attractive when reading it.
700-0000-070
- 7 can be considered a lucky number for some in the Middle East, along with this number combo being visually appealing.
707-0000-000
- Boeing 707, along with many zeros.
777-7777-770
- Boeing 777, the biggest fleet type in the EK fleet. Also, as I said before, 7 is considered a lucky number. Zero at the end likely because 0 is more prestigious than another number, though a 7 at the end would have been nicer IMHO (maybe all 7s was taken or blocked).
Unlike vanity plates, which the whole world can see, these special numbers aren’t public. When will someone display them to get the dopamine hit? At the check-in desk, where a platinum number of any kind is treated super well anyway?
when the RSF in Sudan is being funded by the UAE in part through the guise of humanitarian aid... no thanks