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Bradenton woman wins free flights for a year by showing vaccine card

Ashley Cronkhite beat out millions in the "Your Shot to Fly" sweepstakes.
Credit: United Airlines

BRADENTON, Fla. — One local woman will spend the next year flying anywhere in the world she wants, all because she uploaded a photo of her COVID-19 vaccine card.

Ashley Cronkhite from Bradenton was one of the five lucky winners of the "Your Shot to Fly" sweepstakes, a contest hosted by United Airlines in support of the Biden administration's effort to get more people vaccinated.

According to the airline, Ashley beat out millions of other United’s MileagePlus® loyalty members who uploaded photos of their vaccination records.

Each winner was surprised by a personal call from United Captain CJ Charlton who delivered the exciting news.

"Oh my god! Are you serious?" Ashley said as she held back tears of joy. "I should've gotten waterproof mascara!"

She told the captain she started working at a grocery store during the pandemic in addition to her job as an advertising professional in order to pay off her bills.

Now Ashley will get to enjoy some much-needed vacations with her best friend — her mom, who gets to tag along for free. The pair plans to travel to European destinations including Ireland, Italy and Iceland, according to the airline.

“We were proud to do our part to encourage more Americans to get their shot and were thrilled by the overwhelming response we received," said United’s CEO, Scott Kirby. "This prize clearly struck an emotional chord with our customers, as the opportunity to travel and connect with people and places that matter most is something that clearly has been missed during the pandemic."

You can watch her emotional reaction below.

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