Uber Triples Reservation Window to Sync With Airline Bookings

Uber is extending the reservation period to pre-book rides from 30 days to 90 days to help boost its airport business.

The ride-hailing and food delivery company has extended the booking window to reflect the longer lead times for airline bookings. Business travelers in particular are encouraged to book as early as possible to lower costs. Now Uber can more easily target them when they’re choosing their flight.

With upfront pricing, Uber also stands to generate a significant amount of extra cashflow.

The extension is one of several new products and features designed to appeal to corporations, including a new ride category, Business Comfort, which will be available for Uber for Business users later this year. There are no specifics, but Uber said it be a "unique business-class experience."

Airport Guides

On top of the longer booking window, Uber said it wants to overall make travel “less stressful and more effortless” at airports.

A new app feature will guide people from the gate to pick-up location using instructions and images, although it covers just 30 airports for now. It also displays the time it will take to walk that routre, with walk timings for baggage claim areas also due to appear this later. Jen You, head of product for rides, said Uber was innovating on ways to “redesign” the airport experience.

The company continues to target the corporate sector, with a push towards electric vehicles that increasingly appeal to businesses looking to lower their carbon emissions.

It's also expanding its Uber One membership program. “We are quite actively continuing to innovate in terms of the benefits that we offer, and the results are pretty spectacular,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said last month.