From The Verge: Uber is launching a new flight booking tool for its UK customers as part of the company’s wider efforts to expand into other travel markets. Hopper, a Canadian-based travel agency, and Uber announced the partnership to sell national and international flights through the ride-sharing app on Wednesday.
Uber has already introduced app bookings for flights for some UK users and is planning to make the tool more widely available across the entire region “in the coming weeks,” as reported by The Financial Times. Andrew Brem, General Manager for Uber in the UK, told the publication that this is “the latest and most ambitious step” that the company has taken in its pursuit to create a one-stop shop for all travel booking needs — a so-called travel “super app,” if you will.
In the UK, Uber already allows users to add bookings for trains, boats, and buses through partnerships with Eurostar, Thames Clippers, Omio, National Rail, National Express, and Megabus. Brem said that train bookings have proved “incredibly popular” so far, claiming that booking numbers have increased by 40 percent each month since launching the feature in August last year. Brem did not disclose how many tickets had actually been sold through the service.
Hopper says that Uber customers can book a flight as they would with most travel platforms by inputting 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.
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