Uber launches flight booking in its UK app

Technology company Uber, which offers taxi rides and meal deliveries with its app, is to expand its services. This summer, it will launch a feature in the UK that will allow users to book flights directly in its app.

The feature was launched on Uber’s UK app for multimodal travel options last year, and the UK will now be the first country to test the function. The new addition means users can book end-to-end travel for domestic and international trips with cars, coaches, trains, planes, and transfers, all available to pre-book via the Uber app.

Multi travel app

According to Uber, the new option strengthens Uber’s ambition to create “a seamless door-to-door travel solution (…), where the first and last legs of the journey can be managed” from the company’s platform. These include Flight Disruption Guarantee, Cancel For Any Reason, and VIP support.

To book a flight, Uber app users must enter their travel details, including where they will travel to and from, along with dates. Customers can then select their departing flight and returning flight if a round trip. With significant carriers, users can choose seats in the app and then pay, just as they would for any Uber service.

Apart from air travel booking, a range of other modes of transport will also be available on the UK app, such as boats on the Thames, bus journeys, or tickets for the Eurostar. The new feature will be powered by the online travel agency Hopper.

More new additions

The California-based company announced results and forecast in early May that exceeded expectations in the first quarter, driven by a 40% jump in demand for chauffeur-driven car journeys.

The boom of post-pandemic tourism has further accelerated Uber’s plans in this direction. In the UK, Uber recently integrated bookings with Heathrow Express, allowing seamless booking through the airport shuttle service, with journeys to the airport taking 15 minutes.

In addition to the Uber travel offering, Uber also rolled out access to the UK’s car rentals on the app, enabling riders to explore everything the country offers. Since 2019, public transport information has also been integrated into the Uber app.