New AA Partnership with Uber
 

Quick Info:

• All AA customers who do not have an Uber account can get up to $20 off one ride with the RIDEAA code.
• EXP will receive a code for up to $25 off in March, even if you already have an Uber account. ^
• For a limited time, customers who use their AAdvantage® Aviator™ MasterCard® as the method of payment for Uber purchases will earn two additional bonus miles for every $1 spent on their Uber rides from February 7 through July 31, 2016. Total bonus miles will be awarded after the promotion ends.

Press Release:

http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/american-air...el-even-easier

This strikes me as awfully pointless unless there's something I'm missing. At PHL at least Uber (UberX) can't even pick up at the airport anyway. How is AA's app producing a reminder for me to go to Uber's app to order a ride helpful? The $20 discount for first-time riders is available to anyone anyway (or maybe anyone who knows someone else who's used Uber). I'm struggling to imagine the point of this.

The bonus miles using AA credit card is nice, other than that, put me in the yawning category as well. Big YMMv, needless to say.

One innovation that might be nice is if they tie check-in to being in an Uber car. If your car gets stuck in traffic delaying you enough to miss your flight and the Uber-estimated time to get to the airport would have been early enough, AA protects you on the next flight (as a published rule, not counting on unpublished flat tire rule/agent mercy/etc). That's the only thing I could imagine being worthy of the "seamless" moniker AA's press release gives this that's more "seamless" than any other airport pickup is.

A policy like that would be very surprising and difficult to implement, to say the least.

Regular UberX drivers can't pick up at PHX either, per city law, and that's included on the list too.

(Although it seems Gov. Ducey is onboard to get this changed, ASAP)

This sounds like too much sharing of information, IMO.

My next city (Vegas) has uber, but not on the list. And, it appears that at least two of cities do not even have airport Uber. Guessing they did not even do testing of the app. After all, they have thousands of employees going to and living in all these cities. Duh???

How can people roll out something without testing?

As to the bonus miles - big whoppeeee. I get double miles on my $20 trip. Okay, thanks, but nothing to get excited about.

Something like 250 bonus miles per ride (sliding scale for elites) would have been nice. Or perhaps 2500 miles for 10 rides.

This is a pretty weak link-up.

As mentioned, PHL and UberX are not getting along. Tickets & towing, along with the occasional sting (Philly Parking Authority, which licenses taxis in Philadelphia, requests Uber pickup at the airport and tickets the driver & tows the car on arrival), has definitely put the keibash on Uber's operations at the airport.

However, you can use Uber Black at PHL as their drivers are PPA licensed limo drivers and 100% legal.

The CapitalOne QuickSilver card is way better for Uber. 21.5% cash rebate on all Uber rides (until April 30 I believe). Most of Uber partnerships with airlines and hotels are weak and unnecessary.

I travel with a lot of people(5 or 6) and find taxi's big enough to accommodate us but never an uber drive. Good concept I will be curious to see the execution. I can always count on taxi's, is this uber service something I will be able to count on? Will it ask me my party number before my flight departure and have someone there to pick us up?

We have a forum here in Flyertalk for specific questions on rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ride-...uber-lyft-747/


Let's keep this thread focused on the AA promo that deals with Uber, and address any Uber-specific questions/comments/complaints/discussion over in that forum.

Thanks!


aztimm

For EXPs, a free $25 is nice. For Aviator card holders, 3 miles per dollar is nice; as only an occasional Uber user, I may not bother to switch cards since that offer is limited-time.

The rest of it is pretty un-exciting.

You don't seem to understand Uber, well, really at all. In the app, it clearly details the number of passengers that each option will hold. If you can't fit your entire party in a Chevrolet Suburban (typically the largest option), you'll need to get a 2nd car.

Has any EXPs received their free $25 ride credit? This was supposed to be for everybody who was EXP on March 1st.