Uber already has a heavy presence at airports, picking up riders, so would flights be a natural extension?
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, the ex-Expedia CEO who sits on the Expedia board, came to Skift Global Forum in New York City Tuesday and discussed its Expedia hotel partnership.
Through its Uber One program, Uber offers members 10% discounts and more on hotels.
“Just like we extended a brand from mobility content to delivery content, now travel is an adjacent ecosystem that we’re getting into,” he said.
There has been much speculation over the years whether Airbnb, which has expanded to hotels, experiences and car rentals, might launch flights. It was under heavy consideration before the pandemic.
But might Uber get there first?
Khosrowshahi wouldn’t say whether Uber would expand into flights, but it’s clearly under consideration. He said Uber would wait to see how its hotel offering does before deciding on flights.
Skift Global Forum
Airlines are being reordered from the outside, by the platforms, agents, and AI now rewriting how trips get discovered and booked.
This September in New York, Corneel Koster (CEO, Virgin Atlantic), Mark Galardo (Air Canada), and Delta's Scott Jordan take the stage alongside the CEOs of Booking Holdings, Expedia, and Uber, in the room where airline strategy meets the forces reshaping distribution.
SHEERID + SKIFT
A direct booking does not always create a direct relationship. See how verified identity can help airlines build more lasting loyalty.
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Starlink is becoming the must-have feature in aviation but the price tag is staggering. $500,000 to outfit a single plane, $28 million just for American's narrowbody fleet, and then another $20 million a year in monthly fees on top of that.
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down who is actually footing the bill, why airlines are racing to install it anyway, and whether passengers will start choosing flights based on whether they have Starlink.
Skift Travel 200
How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
