United Airlines Challenges Delta With New Deal

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have been competing for decades for superiority in the United States airline market. Now, it looks like that rivalry has reached a new chapter as United is challenging Delta by offering a perk once offered exclusively to Delta customers.

For the past eight years, Delta offered customers a unique perk with its partnership with rideshare service Lyft, which allowed its customers to earn frequent flyer miles on all of their rides. After Delta ended that partnership earlier this year, it seems that United saw an opportunity.

United and Delta Compete

Over the past several years, Delta and United have emerged as the two premier carriers in the United States, with it becoming increasingly clear that there is a sizable gap between them and everyone else.

United CEO Scott Kirby wasn't shy about making this point clear earlier this year when he said that Delta and United are "winning" while all other airlines are "losing."

“One thing that’s becoming even more clear … is the strength of the two brand loyal airlines really winning and everyone else losing,” Kirby said earlier this year.

United Airlines Partners With Lyft

Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines ended its eight-year partnership with Lyft and instead began a partnership with Lyft's biggest competitor, Uber. As a result of Delta leaving Lyft to partner with their biggest rival, Lyft decided to punch back in a similar way – by partnering with Delta's biggest rival.

Last week, Lyft announced that it’s partnering with United Airlines to offer MileagePlus points to riders who link their accounts. Customers can earn miles on all of their trips, with some types of trips earning more miles than others.

Riders will earn one mile on every dollar spent on Standard Priority Pickup and XL rides, and two miles for every dollar booked on business profiles. Customers will earn three miles per dollar on Extra Comfort, Lyft Black, Black SUV, and regular airport rides. Pre-scheduled rides to and from the airport will earn four miles per dollar.

“We have this simple, yet really customer-obsessed way of approaching things,” Lyft marketing chief Brian Irving told CNBC.

Clearly, this is yet another way that United is hoping to compete with Delta.