- Uber Technologies, Inc (NYSE:UBER) has launched flight bookings in its U.K. app, allowing customers to book a complete journey across multiple forms of transport.
- Uber launched the new booking tool for domestic and international flights to U.K. customers and plans to expand to nationwide users shortly, Financial Times reports.
- The U.K., one of Uber’s biggest markets outside North America, is a testing ground for these ambitions. Uber has already rolled out domestic train, Eurostar, and coach ticket bookings nationwide.
- Andrew Brem, Uber’s U.K. general manager, said train bookings had grown 40% month-on-month since their launch last year.
- Uber has already tapped travel booking company Hopper to sell flights and will take a small commission from each sale. It also can add a booking fee on top in the future.
- Adding the flight booking option to its app will help tap more users into Uber’s main ride-booking business, including offering discounted rides to the airport with a flight booking.
- About 15% of Uber’s gross bookings are airport trips, while in the U.K., 40% of journeys start or end near transit hubs.
- Uber’s move is part of a long-term vision of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber becoming a broader travel platform.
- Brem said the group hoped to expand bookings on other forms of transport, including flights to more countries but had “no firm plans” currently.
- In May, Uber reported first-quarter FY23 revenue growth of 29% year-on-year to $8.82 billion, beating the consensus of $8.72 billion.
- Trips grew 24% Y/Y to 2.1 billion, or 24 million per day. Uber’s Monthly Active Platform Consumers reached 130 million, up 13% Y/Y.
- Price Action: UBER shares traded higher by 0.03% at $38.20 premarket on the last check Wednesday.
- Photo via Wikimedia Commons
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