New life for Michigan teen’s bid for free tickets to see Newfoundland girlfriend

CORNER BROOK, N.L. — A lovestruck Michigan teen’s daunting Twitter bid to snag free airline tickets to see his Newfoundland girlfriend has been given new life.

C.J. Poirier’s bid for 530,000 retweets remained stuck at about 30,000 with just hours to go Wednesday, so Air Canada stepped in to extend the deadline — and added creative ways to help him to his goal.

On May 1, Poirer had convinced Air Canada to give him tickets to visit his Newfoundland girlfriend — if he could manage to get a retweet for every resident of Newfoundland and Labrador.

With the goal still far away, Air Canada — undoubtedly aware of the potential PR consequences of a Poirer failure — extended the deadline for “a few days,” and dramatically widened the goal posts.

“We’re helping (at)TheCJPoirier by donating ALL the retweets Air Canada’s has ever received! That’s 162,000 more retweets,” the airline said on Twitter.

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

“Donate your own retweets: just tweet (at)aircanada a screenshot of your most retweeted tweets and we’ll count them towards (hashtag)530KforBecca. Go!”

In response, Poirer offered a crying emoji and this: “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.”

Poirier, a 19-year-old barista from Clarkston, Mich., met Becca Warren of Corner Brook, N.L., online last year and they decided they wanted to meet in person after six months of texting.

“Of all the girls I’ve had the chance to meet, I’m glad it was her,” Poirier said Wednesday.

So Poirier took to Twitter, asking Air Canada how many retweets it would take for free round-trip tickets. Air Canada replied by asking what the population of Newfoundland was — and said it would take that many.

Poirier said Warren, who shares his same interests in cartoons, video games and music, was surprised when Air Canada responded to his tweet.

“She’s been helping me with interviews, respond[ing] to positive comments, and being the biggest supporter in the world,” Poirier said.

As a backup plan, Poirier launched a GoFundMe page called (hashtag)530KforBecca, in hopes of making his dream come true.

He’s already received $388 of his $500 goal through donations.

“I plan on going no matter what,” Poirier said in an interview before Air Canada’s 11th-hour extension. “She and I connect better than anyone in each other’s lives and I want to make every moment with her the best I can make it.”

On his GoFundMe page, Poirier said he dropped out of college, picked up a full-time job as a Starbucks barista and began streaming more often on his YouTube channel to save money to visit “the love of my life.”

“I didn’t expect the campaign to take off as it did and I’m just thankful for everyone who’s helping us reach our goal,” Poirer said via Twitter message. 

— By Fadila Chater in Halifax

The Canadian Press