Uber is launching a new flight booking tool for its UK customers as part of the company’s broader efforts to expand into other travel markets. Hopper, a Canada-based travel agency, and Uber announced the association to sell domestic and international flights through the rideshare app on Wednesday.
Uber has already introduced the flight booking app to some UK users and plans to make the tool more widely available across the region “in the coming weeks”, as reported by financial time. Andrew Brem, Uber’s UK general manager, told the publication that this is “the latest and most ambitious step” the company has taken in its quest to create a one-stop-shop for all travel booking needs, a so-called “super app” trip, if you will.
In the United Kingdom, Uber already allows users to add train, boat and bus reservations through partnerships with Eurostar, Thames Clippers, Omio, National Rail, National Express and Megabus. Brem said that train reservations have proven “incredibly popular” so far, stating that the number of reservations has increased by 40 percent every month since the feature’s launch. in august last year. Brem did not disclose how many tickets had actually been sold through the service.
Hopper says Uber customers can book a flight like they would with most travel platforms by entering their trip details, destination and dates to find their desired flights. For major airlines, users will also be able to select and pay for their seats directly within the Uber app.
financial time reports that Uber will earn a small commission from each sale and may consider adding an additional fee to future flight bookings. Encouraging users to book other travel arrangements through the Uber app could also benefit its core ridesharing business: 40% of Uber journeys in the UK begin or end at transport hubs such as train stations. train, and the company claims that trips to the airport account for 15% of its total gross bookings.
The UK has an extensive public transport network and is one of Uber’s largest markets outside of the US, making it an ideal guinea pig for testing the company’s expansion into other travel markets. . The country was one of the first to receive public transport timetables and directions on the app in 2019. Brem has confirmed that Uber hopes to “build its core business” and expand other varieties of travel booking such as flights to more countries in the future, but admits that the company currently has “no firm plans.”
