Other airlines have already partnered with ride-hailing giant Uber.

United Airlines in 2014 struck a partnership to offer Uber rides through United’s mobile app, and American Airlines last year struck a partnership to integrate a “Remind me to Uber” option for customers who book flights.

Dube said Delta opted to strike an exclusive partnership with Lyft because Lyft “could provide a lot more value back to our customers.”

While discussions on a partnership had started before recent news about problems Uber is facing and a #deleteUber campaign, "we obviously look at the cultural fit and Lyft is very customer-focused and very, very employee-centric," Dube said.

The Lyft partnership also comes as Delta CEO Ed Bastian seeks to focus on catering to millennials.

"We have to appeal to the needs of a new generation," Bastian said last year as he stepped into the CEO position, also noting that half of Delta's employees will be millennials by the end of this decade.

“There’s no other loyalty program that can cater to the needs of the millennials as much as SkyMiles with Airbnb, with Lyft, with Clear,” Dube said.

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