• by Tanya Gazdik , October 27, 2022

United Airlines and Jaguar are launching the first gate-to-gate airport transfer service powered by an all-electric fleet in the United States. 

Starting this month at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, select MileagePlus Premier members will be offered chauffeured rides between their connecting aircraft in the 2023 Jaguar I-Pace HSE, Jaguar’s first all-electric performance SUV.

Late this year, the vehicles will go into service at United hubs in Denver, Houston, Newark/New York, Washington D.C, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The SUVs are expected to make an estimated 60 trips per day and transfer more than 1,000 United customers daily.

Delta and Porsche have offered a similar service in gas-powered vehicles to the airline’s Diamond Medallion frequent flyers since 2011 at Delta hub airports including Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia and Seattle-Tacoma.

Meanwhile, Jaguar aims to “ignite the passion travelers have for eco-minded exploration,” says Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover.

United’s ground transfer service is a surprise benefit for select Premier MileagePlus members with tight connections at the air carrier’s U.S. hub airports.

The new United-Jaguar ground transfer program aims to offer travelers “a moment of luxury and ease, while also raising sustainability standards for the airline industry," says Luc Bondar, United marketing and loyalty vice president and MileagePlus president.

“Partnering with Jaguar to deploy an all-electric fleet is not only a smart business move, as we know customers consider sustainability when booking travel, it is the right thing to do,” Bonard says in a release.

On the tarmac, United customers will experience the all-electric performance five-seat SUV with Alexa6 connectivity that delivers a suite of enhancements to its infotainment interface and Wireless Device Charging.