Wheels Up Unveils Red King Air 350i Aircraft during American Heart Month this February 2018 to Support the American Heart Association and Simon's Heart

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Feb 02, 2018, 06:29 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Wheels Up, the fastest growing membership-based private aviation company, announces that its WHEELS UP CARES philanthropic initiative will recognize February's American Heart Month with a new signature King Air 350i airplane, with a unique red livery, manufactured by Wheels Up partner Textron Aviation, in support of the American Heart Association's Life Is Why We Give™ fundraising campaign (www.heart.org/lifeiswhywegive) and Simon's Heart (www.simonsheart.org), an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the warning signs and conditions that lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death in kids.

Wheels Up will donate a portion of its new membership fees for February 2018 to both organizations and all pilots flying Wheels Up planes will wear red lapel pins and ties throughout the month in support of the campaign. The red King Air 350i will remain in the fleet on an ongoing basis to serve as a reminder about the importance of cardiovascular health.

"WHEELS UP CARES is our way of connecting with philanthropic initiatives that matter to our company, Members, families and friends," said Kenny Dichter, Founder and CEO, Wheels Up. "The three aircraft in the program are flying symbols of these charities' important missions and we are proud to align with the American Heart Association and Simon's Heart."

"The American Heart Association is committed to fighting heart disease and stroke and improving the quality of life for all Americans," said American Heart Association Board Chairman James Postl. "Our work would not be possible without the generous support of committed companies like these who provide donation opportunities to their customers. These corporate citizens provide a force multiplying impact to our work and help us get ever closer to a world without needless suffering or death."

"We are honored to be recognized by a premier brand like Wheels Up and to join the worthy causes in the WHEELS UP CARES family," said Darren Sudman, CEO, Simon's Heart. "This generous contribution will ensure that we can continue protecting hearts and saving lives."

Dichter also announced that Wheels Up partner, Kwiat, and Member and Ambassador, Karl Ravech, host of ESPN's Baseball Tonight, would participate in the company's initiative.

Kwiat, the 110 year-old diamond jewelry house, will donate a portion of proceeds from its collection of diamond heart pendants, designed exclusively for the cause, to the American Heart Association and Simon's Heart during the month of February 2018. The pendants are available for purchase at www.kwiat.com/American-heart-association-pendant-necklace.

"As a Wheels Up Member and former heart attack victim myself, I am abundantly proud to support the fight against heart disease," said Ravech, who suffered a heart attack at the age of 33. "Thank you, Wheels Up, for your contribution to the critical and inspiring work being done by the American Heart Association and Simon's Heart to save lives."

Along with the red plane and the American Heart Association and Simon's Heart, WHEELS UP CARES recognizes Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September with its Teal Plane in support of the Janet Burros Memorial Foundation and the Pink Plane representing the company's ongoing commitment to the Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai in New York City.

About Wheels Up
Wheels Up is a revolutionary membership-based private aviation company that significantly reduces the upfront costs to fly privately, while providing unparalleled flexibility, service and safety. Created and led by renowned entrepreneur Kenny Dichter, Wheels Up offers guaranteed access up to 365 days a year to a private fleet of new Beechcraft King Air 350i and Citation Excel/XLS aircraft to individual, family and corporate members. With the cutting-edge Wheels Up mobile app, members can seamlessly book flights, manage their accounts, participate in ride-share opportunities and select Hot Flights, a vast selection of one-way "empty leg" flights that are posted daily to the app and updated in real time. Members also have access to Wheels Down, a program featuring exclusive events and experiences, unique partner benefits and a full-service luxury concierge.

Wheels Up acts as agent for the Wheels Up members, and is not the operator of the program aircraft; FAA licensed and DOT registered air carriers participating in the program exercise full operational control of the program aircraft. Any aircraft owned or leased by Wheels Up are dry leased to the operating air carrier to facilitate operations by that carrier. Please visit wheelsup.com. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google

About Life Is Why We Give™
We all deserve to live a long, healthy and happy life. However, heart disease and stroke are robbing too many of us from this innate entitlement. The American Heart Association is working to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to live their best life. When people donate or purchase goods and services that benefit the AHA from our Life is Why We Give™ cause supporters, it puts us closer to the quality of life we all deserve. Life Is Why We Give™ allows consumers to think about their reasons to live healthier, longer lives and to give in honor of those reasons. Too long, heart disease and stroke have stolen our precious moments. It's time we fight back together and affirm that we're more powerful than these diseases…because everyone has a reason to live a longer, healthier life…and that reason is why we give.

About Simon's Heart
Darren and Phyllis Sudman founded Simon's Heart (formerly Simon's Fund) in memory of their three-month old son, Simon. He died suddenly from an undetected heart condition while taking a nap. Simon's Heart raises awareness about the warning signs and conditions that lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death in children. In its effort to prevent sudden death, it has provided free heart screenings to over 15,000 students. It authored and advocated for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, a law that protects student athletes in twelve states. It has developed two technologies - HeartBytes, a digital cardiac registry of seemingly healthy kids that provides data to researchers free of charge, and GotAED, a crowdfunding site dedicated to getting AED devices into places where kids learn and play. The Sudmans have received numerous awards, including the L'Oreal Paris Woman of Worth National Honoree, Sigma Delta Tau Alumnus of the Year and the Philadelphia Magazine Be Well Philly Heathy Hero. They have also appeared in various media outlets, including NPR, The TODAY Show, CNN, PEOPLE Magazine, Dr. Oz, The Washington Post and more.