This Airline Partnered With Uber to Turn an Ordinary Taxi Ride Into a Flight Abroad

Wake up, go to work, come home. Wake up, go to work, come home.

It’s an invariable grind that’s almost impossible to see past. The logistics alone of even tiny weekend trips can stop us from starting the process at all, leaving us marinating in unrealized fantasies of escape.

But what if getting away for a long weekend were as easy as calling an Uber?

With help from French agency Les Gaulois, budget flight brand Transavia partnered with Uber to create “UberESCAPE,” which launched this week in three major French cities: Paris, Lyon and Nantes.

For one week, Transavia’s flights will be connected to the Uber app (assuming residents still have it). When opened, and in addition to proffering all the usual car options, users will see an “UberESCAPE” button … which will instantly list all the exotic departures taking off from the nearest airport.

Go ahead, order Lisbon. The cost of the flight is folded into the cost of your Uber trip.

Aw, did the boss yell at you today? Instant escape hatch!

In addition to perhaps encouraging people to make up with Uber, the campaign reinforces Transavia’s goal of making travel feel more accessible, not just with lower prices but with clever campaigns that flaunt ease of departure in unexpected ways. Two years ago, the company printed actual plane tickets on snacks, available in select French supermarkets, vending machines and metro stations.

Those familiar with JetBlue’s antics will see a comrade-in-arms here. To achieve similar ends, JetBlue in the U.S. has encouraged New Yorkers to steal its bus shelter ads for prizes (including free trips!) and tempted people to drop their briefcases smack in the middle of Times Square, using billboards that show exactly how far you are, timewise, from sunshine and mojitos.

Once, it even brought Jamaica to Jamaica Station … and in turn, lucky station visitors to Jamaica.

“UberESCAPE” will run through Friday. Destinations include Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, Porto, London and Amsterdam—all a hop, skip and a jump away for city-dwelling French residents.

Now even that effort’s been reduced to just one easy click.

CREDITS
Client: Transavia
Agency: Les Galois
Chief Creative Officer: Xavier Beauregard
Art Director: Aurélien Bigot
Copy Writer: Benjamin Le Coz
TV prod: Ingrid Vasseur
Production: Wanda
Directors: The Cabs
Sound: Hrcls (Hercules)
Partner: Uber

Angela Natividad

@luckthelady

Angela Natividad is a frequent contributor to Adweek's creativity blog, AdFreak. She is also the author of Generation Creation and co-founder of Hurrah, an esports agency. She lives in Paris and when she isn't writing, she can be found picking food off your plate.