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.
Each Rider gets a unique magic link. One click and they're in — no app download, no password, no friction. They see their event, their ride, and nothing else.
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.
For organizations with SSO / SAML, traveler lists sync directly from your identity provider. No CSV, no manual entry. Planners just pick the dates and destination.
Planners can require or optionally prompt Riders to set up TOTP two-factor authentication (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password) when they accept their invite. Enforced at the organization level — one toggle protects every event.
Invite colleagues to co-manage events. Owners control granular permissions per Planner — who can create events, manage billing, send Rider invites, or configure integrations. Everyone sees the same events, but only does what they're authorized to do.
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.
SeatMax pulls real-time flight data from AviationStack — the same data airlines and airports use. Arrival times, gate changes, delays, and cancellations are all tracked automatically.
When a flight is delayed, SeatMax doesn't just update the ETA — it re-runs the entire grouping algorithm. Travelers are seamlessly moved to a new group that matches their updated arrival time. No Planner intervention required.
SeatMax has terminal-level data for 60+ airports across the USA and Canada. For cities with multiple airports (NYC, Chicago, Toronto), travelers arriving at different airports are automatically separated into the right groups.
Flight data refreshes automatically on a daily schedule, and Planners can trigger a manual refresh at any time. By the time travelers land, SeatMax already knows exactly when and where.
At airports like LAX, JFK, ORD, and YYZ, different terminals have different pickup locations — sometimes a mile apart. SeatMax maps terminal-level pickup zones for 60+ airports across the USA and Canada so Riders in the same group are actually at the same curb.
The engine sorts travelers by arrival time, creates time buckets based on a configurable wait window, then fills UberXL (6 seats, $38) before adding UberX (4 seats, $24). Every seat gets filled before a new car is added.
For the return trip (venue to airport), SeatMax groups travelers by departure time with a 2-hour airport arrival buffer built in. Travelers heading to the same airport at similar times share a ride — no terminal separation needed since pickup is at the venue.
SeatMax uses real Uber API pricing 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.
Travelers in different zones are never grouped together — even if their flights land at the same time. SeatMax knows which terminals share a curb and which don't.
Every vehicle gets a Ride Captain — the person responsible for confirming everyone is present and initiating the ride. SeatMax picks the best candidate based on configurable criteria: carry-on only travelers are preferred so the Captain isn't stuck at baggage claim.
Planners control whether Captains can have checked bags. When disabled, only carry-on travelers are eligible. This means the Captain is ready at the curb while the rest of the group collects luggage — they can coordinate the meetup without being stuck in baggage claim themselves.
If a Captain's flight is delayed or cancelled, SeatMax automatically reassigns the role to another eligible traveler in the group. The new Captain gets notified instantly. No Planner intervention, no confusion at the curb.
Riders get SMS notifications with their ride details: vehicle number, Captain name, pickup zone, and co-riders. The Captain gets a confirmation prompt — one tap to signal 'everyone is here' and dispatch the ride.
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.
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.
SeatMax calls the Uber via the Uber Direct API. The pickup location is set to the correct terminal curb, the destination is the event venue, and the vehicle type matches the group size. No one opens the Uber app.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Ground transport coordination isn't just grouping people by time. It's dozens of edge cases that compound. SeatMax handles all of them.
60+ airports across the USA and Canada with terminal-level pickup coordinates. SeatMax knows which terminals share a curb and which are a shuttle ride apart.
Planners configure whether Captains can have checked bags. Carry-on-only Captains are at the curb first, ready to coordinate before anyone else arrives.
Flight delayed? Cancelled? The Captain role silently transfers to the next eligible traveler. No Planner intervention. No confusion.
Incoming rides group by terminal. Outgoing rides group by airport only — because everyone departs from the same venue. Two completely different algorithms, one engine.
Riders update their own flights through a validated form. Flight numbers are checked against real airline data — practically impossible to enter bad info.
SeatMax models baggage wait times (15-45 minutes after landing) and doesn't dispatch until everyone has their bags. No one's left circling the terminal.
Set different incoming and outgoing dates. Travelers arriving Monday and leaving Thursday are grouped independently for each day.
A 30-minute delay doesn't just update one flight — it triggers a full regroup. The affected traveler might move to a different vehicle, and their old group gets a new Captain.
Planners set a TOTP policy per organization: off, optional, or required. When required, Riders must enroll in two-factor authentication before they can view their rides. Works with any TOTP app.
Automatic SMS and email pings before each flight — one check 24 hours out, or up to five escalating reminders down to 2 hours before. If a Rider says they no longer need a ride, they're removed and groups restructure instantly. No empty seats, no no-shows.
Riders text CHANGE to update their flight right from their phone — pick direction, date, airport, and choose from real search results. No app, no login, no calling you. Their record updates and ride groups re-jigger automatically.
Running the same offsite next quarter? Duplicate an event in one click — destination, vehicle settings, airport restrictions all carry over. Dates and travelers start fresh so you're not rebuilding from scratch every time.
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.
Auto-detected at signup, editable anytime. Riders see the event destination timezone alongside their own. Every timestamp in the system displays in the viewer's chosen zone — no more mental math across time zones.
Choose exactly which updates you care about — flight changes, new travelers, disruptions — and how you get them: email, Slack, or both. Stay informed without the noise.
Invite colleagues to your organization via email. New Planners accept a secure invite link, create an account, and join your team — no manual setup. Remove members anytime, and the audit trail captures every change.
Owners control exactly what each team member can do: create events, manage travelers, send Rider invites, handle billing, manage team, or configure integrations. Eight independent permission flags — toggle each one per Planner.
Two import paths: a deterministic CSV importer with auto-column mapping for clean spreadsheets, and an AI-powered parser (Claude) for messy data — pasted text, PDFs, or Excel files with inconsistent formatting. Both validate flight numbers against real airline data.