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ENTERTAINMENT

Uber offers helicopter rides to Bonnaroo for $1,500

Holly Meyer
hmeyer@tennessean.com
The ride-hailing service is partnering with Nashville company Helistar Aviation to offer its UberCHOPPER service to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival goers.

If you can spare $1,500, Uber wants to take you to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in a helicopter.

The ride-hailing service is partnering with Nashville company Helistar Aviation to offer its UberCHOPPER service to festival goers on Thursday and Friday.

While Uber is better known for its much cheaper car service, Luke Marklin, general manager of Uber Nashville, said the helicopter rides are in keeping with the company's mission to provide innovative transportation options.

Uber has offered helicopter rides at major events across the country, but this will be the first year for trips from Nashville to the Manchester-based festival. The ride does not include tickets to Bonnaroo.

"Bonnaroo is an incredible festival," Marklin said. "It's within relative close proximity to Nashville so it just made a lot of sense to be able to provide this type of option and really be able to provide an experience for our riders that is a very Uber type of experience."

UberCHOPPER can accommodate up to three passengers per ride and the $1,500 price tag includes an Uber car ride to the helipad, one helicopter ride to the festival and an Uber car ride back to Nashville. The fare-splitting option is available.

Helistar Aviation has offered rides to Bonnaroo in the past — primarily to artists and their managers — but the company, based at John C. Tune Airport, jumped at the chance to partner with Uber, said Joel Boyers, chief pilot and manager.

"It's people who still want to go to Bonnaroo to get the experience, but aren't really the camping type," Boyers said.

UberCHOPPER will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, but rides are subject to availability.

A helicopter can be requested through the Uber app. Enter promo code ROOCHOPPER to unlock UberCHOPPER. Starting at 10 a.m. each day, you can slide to the "chopper" option, tap request "UberCHOPPER" and an representative will confirm your trip via phone.

Reach Holly Meyer at 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.