A partnership between Delta Air Lines and rideshare upstart Lyft puts event planners in the drivers’ seat. In a win-win for business travelers, the Atlanta-based airline this week announced that Delta SkyMiles members can earn points when they use Lyft ridesharing services while traveling to and from airports where Delta flies and Lyft drivers operate.
For business travelers, the partnership means they can earn extra mileage points from the moment a Lyft driver picks them up and takes them to the airport terminal and again when they schedule their Lyft ride home. Those points can be used for future Delta Air Line tickets, or to upgrade their seats to business or first-class. SkyMiles points can also be used to purchase memberships to Delta Sky Clubs.
“We’re thinking about our customers’ whole travel experience and it’s important that Delta customers are taken care of, not just in the air, but on the ground,” said Sandeep Dube, Delta’s vice president of customer engagement & Loyalty. “We want Delta customers to choose brands that they love…and be rewarded for it.”
Delta also recently announced that it would be adding new self-service bag drop machines to make the entire experience easier.
Customers who aren’t already enrolled in the SkyMiles program can sign up at delta.com/enroll and link their Delta awards accounts through the Lyft app. After that, they’re eligible to receive 1 mile per dollar they spend on all Lyft rides.
An eligible Lyft ride must originate or terminate at airports where Lyft operates and Delta flies. In addition to Atlanta, some of Delta’s major U.S. hubs include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas, New York City and Orlando, Florida.
