Uber has partnered with Canadian-based travel agency Hopper to launch a flight booking tool for its UK customers. The tool is part of Uber’s wider plan to expand into other travel markets and create a one-stop shop for all travel booking needs.
According to The Financial Times, Uber has already introduced app bookings for flights for some UK users and plans to make the tool available across the entire region in the coming weeks.
The move is part of the company’s ambition to build its core business and expand other varieties of travel booking, such as flights, to more countries in the future.
The flight booking system within the Uber app is easy to navigate and similar to other travel platforms like Kayak and Expedia. Users will be able to input their travel 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. The Financial Times reports that Uber will take a small commission from each sale and may consider adding an additional fee to flight bookings in the future.
In the UK, Uber already allows users to book trains, boats, and buses through partnerships with Eurostar, Thames Clippers, Omio, National Rail, National Express, and Megabus. Train bookings have proved “incredibly popular” with the service since launching in August last year, with booking numbers increasing by 40 percent each month, according to Andrew Brem, General Manager for Uber in the UK. Brem did not disclose how many tickets had actually been sold through the service.
The addition of flight bookings to the Uber app for UK consumers is expected to offer choice, transparency and flexibility when booking flights, all in the same place they are already booking their other transportation, said Frederic Lalonde, CEO and co-founder of Hopper in a press statement.
The move is the latest addition to Uber Travel, which already lets users book airport transfers, hotels, coaches, trains, and other travel elements, which are then grouped into trips and connected with Gmail or Outlook accounts.
Uber’s push into travel bookings comes as it continues to diversify its business. In addition to the app’s transportation offerings, Uber has also been expanding into food delivery services with Uber Eats, and electric bike rentals through its acquisition of Jump Bikes.
The move towards a one-stop travel solution in the UK could also benefit the company’s main ride-sharing business, as 40 percent of Uber trips in the UK start or finish around transportation hubs like train stations, and the company claims that airport trips make up 15 percent of its entire gross bookings.
While Uber may face competition from established travel booking sites like Skyscanner, the convenience of booking flights through the same app that offers transportation services could be appealing to users.
The feature will be available to all UK users “this summer,” with no global rollout announced as of yet. Whether Uber’s flight booking tool will expand to other markets remains to be seen.
