Southwest’s Walt Disney vacation giveaway

“You are now free to move about the Himalayas,” says the contest page on Southwest’s website. It’s a good hook—I’m interested. Please, tell me more.

The grand prize, it turns out, is a trip for eight people to Disney World and its new “Expedition Everest” adventure area. Not quite the trip of a lifetime, but not bad, either. If a Disney vacation interests you, there’s really no reason not to enter the Southwest contest that runs through March 31. One lucky person could win a six-day Florida vacation, including airfare and accommodations for eight people, at a Disney resort. The airfare is, obviously, provided by Southwest. The estimated trip value is over $9,000.

The contest is a promotional tool to push Southwest’s nationwide service to Orlando and, presumably, its vacation wing as well. Vacations are an increasingly big part of airline revenue; as it becomes more and more difficult for carriers to make any money on flights alone, these kinds of value-added packages that typically include airfare, accommodations, and some kind of extra (like theme-park passes) are usually a pretty good deal for both the airline and the consumer.

As for this particular contest, it’s a chance to win a free trip. What’s not to like?