An announcement released via the company’s website on Thursday revealed that the feature will launch first in the United Kingdom “this summer”.
The feature is a partnership between the company and digital travel agency, Hooper.
The release read in part, “Uber’s new flight booking functionality is powered by online travel agent Hopper, who will take UK app users to new heights by allowing domestic and international flights to be booked from the Uber app. The new functionality strengthens Uber’s ambition to create a seamless door-to-door travel solution.
“Flights on Uber join existing transport options including Uber Rides, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, train journeys across the National Rail network, Eurostar and coach travel with National Express and megabus, as Uber continues to reimagine the way we travel.”
The new service will allow Uber users to enter their travel details, select, and pay for flights. The feature will also enable users to select their seats when flying with major carriers.
Expressing optimism for the new venture, General Manager at Uber UK, Andrew Brem, said the functionality will “make the booking and managing of air travel simple and stress-free, with the booking process taking as little as one minute in the Uber app.”
Frederic Lalonde, CEO of Hopper also noted that the new partnership “will offer Uber users choice, transparency and flexibility when booking flights, all in the same place they are already booking their other transportation.”
Speaking with ABC News, a spokesperson for Uber revealed that while the functionality is only available in the UK for the time being, customer engagement will be monitored before the company commits to “a timeline to expand the feature to other markets.”
