Uber will fly you to Coachella -- for $4,170 each way

March 24, 2016

6:03 PM

SAN FRANCISCO —

Want to get from Los Angeles to Coachella Valley in less than an hour? Uber will take you — for $4,170 one way.

The on-demand transportation company is offering its novelty UberCHOPPER helicopter service to people in Los Angeles County and Orange County during the three weekends when the Coachella music festival and the country-themed Stagecoach music festival take place.

Starting Friday, Uber customers can reserve a chopper through the Uber app for any of those dates. The first Coachella weekend is from April 15-17, the second from April 22-24, and Stagecoach goes from April 29-May 1.

On the day of travel, Uber will send an UberSUV to pick up passengers and drop them off at the helipad at Van Nuys Airport. A helicopter company called “Blade” will provide the chopper service. A second UberSUV will take passengers on the final leg of the journey from the Coachella Valley helipad to the festival itself.

Travelers will be able to take the trip with up to five friends and also split the cost.

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For those who can’t afford to ride the chopper both ways (round-trip helicopter fare is $8,340), Uber is offering the option to take an UberSUV back to Los Angeles or Orange County for $399. That option is limited to those who used UberCHOPPER to get to the festival.

Uber declined to comment on whether UberCHOPPER, which it selectively makes available for events such as the Sundance Film Festival and the Fourth of July weekend in East Hampton, NY., is profitable or simply a publicity stunt.

A company spokesman said he anticipates there will be high demand for the service, with “hundreds” of rides expected.

Still no word on whether there will be on-demand hairdressers on the ground to tame travelers’ helicopter hair, though.

Twitter: @traceylien

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Tracey Lien

Tracey Lien covered Silicon Valley and the technology industry for The Times’ business section before leaving in 2018 to pursue her MFA at the University of Kansas. A Sydney native, she came to the U.S. because the servings are bigger. She enjoys perpetuating lies about Australian animals, specifically drop bears and boxing kangaroos.