Besides the musical extravaganza that is the essence of the renowned annual music and arts festival, this year's event has a new and exciting feature: helicopter rides!
A typical drive from Los Angeles to Palm Springs would take up to several hours depending on traffic, but with the sweet new chopper ride, the 130-mile journey will only take a 55-minute flight. A one-way ride is valued at $695 per person, but you can also book an entire six-seat helicopter for $4,170 (again, also one way).
Delivered by Uber and powered by Blade, this is not the first time that the multinational cab company has partnered with the New York-based aviation startup. The two online transportation companies had their first business tie-up in July 2014 when the UberCHOPPER offered helicopter rides from Manhattan to the Hamptons.
Starting on March 25, both Uber and Blade apps will offer tickets for the flights from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. There will be a seat-by-seat booking on Blade, while on Uber you can book an entire six-seat chopper which you can share with friends.
Upon arrival to Palm Springs, guests can chill in Blade's exclusive lounge, which is equipped with a full bar that even features George Clooney's Casamigos Tequila.
Included in the $695 fare is the Uber SUV ride that will take the guests to and from the Blade lounge at the Van Nuys Airport and in Palm Springs. Uber drivers can take the guests' luggage to their hotel. An option to ride an Uber SUV back to Los Angeles or Orange County for $399 is available exclusively to those who took the helicopter ride going to Coachella.
Uber has had several UberCHOPPER ventures in the past, partnering with several other transportation companies such as Airbus for Sundance, Orbic Air for Labor Day Weekend, and Epic Helicopters for Circuits of the Americas.
For Blade, this music fest marks the company's first West Coast venture.
"We believe that the West Coast is underserved by short-distance aviation - especially helicopter travel," says Blade CEO and founder Rob Wiesenthal. "There is no better partner to explore the potential of this market than with Uber."
The 2016 Coachella lineup includes LCD Soundsystem for April 15 and 22, Guns N' Roses for April 16 and 23, and Calvin Harris for April 17 and 24.
Photo: Tony Alter | Flickr
