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How SeatMax works
from setup to savings.

SeatMax turns scattered airport arrivals into coordinated shared rides. Here's every step, from creating an event to the moment everyone's in a car.

01Setup

Create an event, invite your travelers

PlannerCreates event
Name, destination, dates
Standard
CSV upload
auto-mapped columns
AI Import
Paste anything
messy data, PDFs, Excel
Manual
One at a time
inline form, live flight validation
Rider Invite

No app, no friction

Each Rider gets a unique invite link. No app download — they can access their event details anytime, change their flights, and more, all without installing anything.

Riders update their own flights

After accepting, Riders can update their own flight details. SeatMax validates flight numbers against real airline data, so it's practically impossible to enter bad information. If a Rider changes their flight, grouping updates automatically.

Two-leg events

SeatMax handles both directions. Set incoming dates (airport to venue) and outgoing dates (venue to airport) independently. Travelers can opt into one or both legs.

02Tracking

Real-time flight data, automatically

Live flight monitoring

SeatMax pulls real-time flight data — the same data airlines and airports use. Arrival times, gate changes, delays, and cancellations are tracked automatically.

Delays handled, not announced

When a flight is delayed, SeatMax doesn't just update the ETA — it quietly reshuffles the affected groups so the curb still works. No Planner intervention required.

Multi-airport support

All major USA and Canada airports supported.

Live flight board
UA 1247On time11:42 AMT7
DL 892Delayed 35m12:17 PMT2
AA 304On time12:30 PMT4
SW 1811On time12:55 PMT1
B6 612Cancelled——
Auto-refreshes throughout your event(s)
03Grouping

Smart shared rides, without the spreadsheet

SeatMax decides who should share a ride and who shouldn't — based on when they land, where they land, and how long anyone should reasonably wait. You see the result: the fewest cars, every seat used.

Every seat counts

SeatMax fills bigger vehicles first, then smaller ones. Solo rides happen only when there's truly no one else to share with.

Real Uber pricing

SeatMax uses real Uber prices for each airport-to-destination route. No estimates or averages — the baseline and grouped costs reflect actual market rates for that city, that route, that time of day.

04Coordination

Every group gets a Captain

Auto-assigned Captain

Every vehicle has one designated Captain — the person who confirms when the group is ready and gets the Uber link. SeatMax picks them automatically based on who's best positioned at the curb.

Auto-reassigned on disruption

If the Captain's flight is delayed or cancelled, SeatMax quietly shifts the role to someone else in the group. The new Captain gets a heads-up. The Planner doesn't have to do anything.

Captains can decline

Planners can let Riders opt out of being Captain when they accept their invite. Eligible Captains are pulled from whoever's left — and someone always gets the role.

One-tap confirmation

When the group is together, the Captain gets a single SMS. One tap to confirm — that's the whole interaction.

Captains forward the receipt (+$1/Rider)

After the ride, the Captain forwards the Uber receipt to SeatMax. We match it to the right ride and attach it to your invoice — so finance sees actuals, not estimates. Optional add-on; included free on Enterprise.

A Captain's event day
Lands
Just like every other Rider
Gets the Captain role
SeatMax picks them, sends the heads-up
Pulls the group together
Confirms when everyone's at the curb
Taps the Uber link
Pickup and dropoff pre-filled — the right car shows up
Forwards the receipt
One email forward. SeatMax does the rest.
Planner gets the audit trail
05Day of event

Flights land, bags clear, rides dispatch

A typical group, on event day
Step 1
Flights land
Riders arrive over a window
Rider A landed
Rider B landed
Rider C landed
Rider D landed
Step 2
Captain confirms 'all here'
One tap from the Captain's phone
Step 3
Uber arrives at the curb
The right car, at the right pickup, ready to go

Baggage claim tracking

SeatMax tracks each Rider's luggage status. Carry-on travelers are ready immediately. Checked-bag travelers are marked as waiting until they confirm collection. The ride only dispatches when everyone in the group is ready.

Captain SMS confirmation

When all group members are accounted for, the Ride Captain receives an SMS prompt. One tap to confirm 'everyone is here' — the destination is pre-filled based on the event venue, and SeatMax dispatches the Uber automatically.

Hands-off ride dispatch

When the Captain confirms, the right car shows up at the right curb. Pickup and dropoff are already set — no one has to open the Uber app or type an address.

Planner dashboard

Planners watch it all unfold in real time. The simulation dashboard shows which flights have landed, who's at baggage claim, which rides are dispatched, and running cost savings — updated live as the day progresses.

06Communication

Slack, SMS, and the Rider portal

Slack

Connect your workspace with one click. SeatMax DMs each Rider with their vehicle assignment, Captain name, co-riders, and pickup zone. Slash commands let Riders check their ride and Planners view stats — all without leaving Slack.

/seatmax rides
/seatmax stats
/seatmax login

SMS

Riders get an SMS when their ride is finalized — vehicle number, Captain contact, and pickup instructions. Captains get a confirmation prompt when all members have arrived.

You're in Vehicle #7 (UberXL). Captain: Sarah M. Meet at T7 arrivals curb.
Everyone's here!
Uber dispatched. UberXL arriving in 4 min at T7 curb.

Rider Portal

Every Rider has a personal dashboard showing their events, ride assignments, Captain, co-riders, and pickup details. Accessible via magic link — no password needed. Riders can update their own flight info at any time.

Your rideConfirmed
Vehicle#7 — UberXL
CaptainSarah M.
PickupLAX Terminal 7
07Results

Verified savings, transparent reporting

Cost comparison — 86 travelers
Without SeatMax$2,064
86 individual rides
With SeatMax$552
23 rides
Total saved$1,512 (73%)
SeatMax fee (22%)$332.64
$1,512 × 22% (51–150 Riders tier)
Net savings$1,179.36

Verified, not estimated

SeatMax pulls real-time Uber API estimates for every airport-to-venue route. You can see and verify every estimate before the event. We compare what individual rides would have cost against the grouped rides — real numbers in your post-event report.

You only pay when we save

SeatMax takes 25% of verified savings (22% for 51+ Riders). Minimum $149 per event. If the grouped rides don't cost less than individual rides, you owe nothing.

Post-event breakdown

After your event, you get a full report: every vehicle, every route, baseline vs. actual cost, savings per group, and the total. Share it with finance, use it to justify the next event.

Receipt reconciliation (+$1/Rider)

Receipts get collected automatically after each ride. Your invoice shows the verified actual fares alongside our estimates, and the post-event PDF includes the originals as exhibits. Finance gets a complete audit trail — no chasing.

View example report (PDF)

Day-of simulation

Before the event, Planners can run a full simulation of the day — watching flights land, bags clear, and rides dispatch in accelerated time. Test different configurations, see projected savings, and build confidence before the real day arrives.

The details

The nuances that make it work.

Ground transport coordination isn't just grouping people by time. It's dozens of edge cases that compound. SeatMax handles all of them.

Complete audit trail

Every action logged: who did what, when, and to whom. Names and details captured at write time so records survive even if a traveler is removed later. When a Rider calls asking 'what happened to my ride?' — you'll know in seconds.

Multi-Planner teams

Invite colleagues to your organization via email. New Planners accept a secure invite link and join your team — no manual setup. The audit trail captures every change.

Timezone intelligence

Auto-detected at signup, editable anytime. Riders see the event destination timezone alongside their own. Every timestamp displays in the viewer's chosen zone — no mental math.

No-show protection

SeatMax pings each Rider before their flight to confirm they still need a ride. Anyone who declines is removed and the groups restructure automatically. No empty seats, no no-shows.

Live event dashboard

Watch event day unfold in real time: flights landing, Captains confirming, Ubers en route, and running savings updated as rides dispatch. Planners stop checking — they just watch.

Test events

Mark any event as a test event. It stays off real billing and doesn't roll up into customer-facing analytics — practice every edge case without contaminating your real numbers.

See it in action.

Run a simulation with real data. No login required.

Watch a demoCreate a free event
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