Uber is expanding the number of ways users can travel via its app. The ride-hailing company has launched domestic and international flight bookings for its app in the UK, Financial Times reports. Uber has plans to expand it across the country in the coming weeks.
The app already allowed users to book domestic trains, Eurostar, and coach tickets in the country through a tool called Uber Travel. The tool can also create travel itineraries by automatically fetching relevant flight, hotel, car rentals, and restaurant details from the users" Gmail or Microsoft accounts.
According to Uber"s UK general manager Andrew Brem, the app"s train bookings grew by 40% month-on-month since it was introduced last year. The addition of commercial flights is a part of Uber"s bigger efforts to push itself as a travel "super app."
Uber has partnered with travel booking company Hopper for its flight bookings, where the San Francisco-based company will earn a small commission on ticket sales. However, the company might add a booking fee on top in the future. The publication says that Uber could also incentivize users who book flights via its app with discounted airport cab rides to attract more users to its main ride-booking business.
This is not the first time Uber is letting users book aerial trips via its app. Back in 2019, it launched the Uber Copter service that offered helicopter rides between New York"s Manhattan and JFK International Airport. In recent news, its food delivery app Uber Eats has added support for Amazon Alexa, where U.S. customers can use the voice assistant to track the status of their food delivery order.
Source: Financial Times (paywalled)