Virgin America Elevates Car Service, On Demand

As loyalty rewards go, Virgin America‘s Elevate frequent flier program has been on the cutting edge since its inception. Virgin America was among the first U.S. loyalty programs to offer guests the ability to redeem reward points for any unsold seat, on any flight, at any time. Now, Elevate has partnered with Uber, the on-demand personal transportation company, to offer members the ability to earn points riding with Uber.

The move should really come as no surprise. In the air, Virgin offers passengers unique features for their comfort including custom-designed seating, a cabin mood lighting system and power outlets near every seat. An advanced entertainment system is available for each passenger on their own seat-back touch-screen with 25 on-demand films, live TV, seat-to-seat chat and more.


Why not have a car meet at the airport for ground transportation too?
On demand – ordered from a smartphone.

Uber looks to be a perfect fit for Virgin America’s loyalty program. Their simple yet effective way of doing business is more expensive than a taxi, but offers higher quality service and vehicles for those who prefer to travel in comfort and style.

After signing up, users order service on their iPhone and Android smartphone apps in one of three ways. They can set their pickup location on the app’s map, go to m.uber.com and then type in the pickup address or, in the US and Canada, text an address and city to UBR-CAB (827-222).

Uber then dispatches the nearest driver for pickup, sends a text with the estimated arrival time and another when the car arrives.

After the ride, Uber will automatically charge the credit card on file, tip included.

To kick things off, Virgin America is awarding 800 Elevate points to new Uber customers who also are a part of the Elevate program along with $500 in cash and a free flight to one new Uber rider every week from now until October 2.




Flickr photo by vincentq