Uber users in the United Kingdom will soon be able to book flight tickets via the ride-booking app, as part of the company’s plans to offer a wide range of transportation options. The new feature, which will allow customers to book both domestic and international flights, will be rolled out on the UK version of the Uber app and will be available to all users in the country by this summer. Uber has stated that the addition of flight bookings is part of its ambition to offer a seamless door-to-door travel solution, in addition to its car ride-sharing service.
To facilitate the new feature, Uber has entered into a partnership with online travel agent Hopper, which will allow users to book flights and in return, receive a small commission from every sale. The CEO and co-founder of Hopper, Frederic Lalonde, has stated that the addition of flights to the Uber app is a big win for UK consumers who are looking for an easier way to book travel, and that the new partnership will offer Uber users choice, transparency, and flexibility when booking flights, all in the same place they are already booking other transportation.
Uber’s general manager in the UK, Andrew Brem, has also commented on the new functionality, stating that it will make the booking and managing of air travel simple and stress-free, with the booking process taking as little as one minute. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi had previously expressed his desire to make his company “an operating system for everyday life” back in 2019, when the ride-hailing application merged with Uber Eats food delivery services. As part of this goal, the app has also included a feature to highlight local public transport options.
In the UK, which is one of Uber’s largest markets outside of North America, users are already able to book coach tickets on the app’s National Express and Megabus services, as well as get tickets for train journeys on Eurostar and across the National Rail network. Additionally, Uber has held naming rights to the Thames Clippers commuter boat service in London since 2020, which was rebranded as Uber Boat. Tickets for these journeys can also be booked through the Uber app, which allows passengers to board the riverboats by using a QR code on their phone.
To book flight tickets via the Uber app, users will need to enter their travel information, such as the departure and arrival airports, and the planned travel date. With this new feature, Uber is continuing to expand its offerings beyond ride-sharing to become a one-stop-shop for transportation and travel-related needs.
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