Uber announced at CES 2025 a long-term exclusive partnership with Delta Air Lines that will allow SkyMiles members to earn miles when they ride with Uber or order delivery through Uber Eats in the United States. Compromise means the end. Delta's partnership with Lyft.
The partnership with Uber, which will begin in the spring, will provide Uber customers with benefits such as “better Uber pickup and drop-off experiences at Delta hubs,” the company said in a statement. When asked what that meant, an Uber spokesperson declined to elaborate.
Lyft and Delta formed its partnership in 2018. Expires April 7, 2025.
“Years ago, we partnered with our first airline to enable ways to upgrade and innovate travel experiences and turn those customers into Lyft loyalists,” Lyft said in an emailed statement. “We continue to expand our reach by partnering with major brands that share our customer passion, such as Alaska Airlines, Chase, DoorDash, Mastercard, Hilton, Disney and Bilt. Connect your Lyft account. Discover a world of growing benefits.”
Uber promises customers with Delta Skymiles membership-linked accounts for every dollar spent on $40+ restaurant and grocery orders on rides to and from the airport with Uber Eats and UberX. Premium Rides like Uber Comfort or Uber Black earn users 2 miles per dollar. 3 miles per dollar will also be available for pre-booked riders.
The tie-up with Delta is one of the steps in connecting the airline with Joby Aviation and Uber. An eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) venture is also possible, in a separate partnership with Uber. Delta. Delta's partnership with Joby means Delta customers will one day be exposed. Joby's Electric Air Taxi Service Launches in NYC.
Uber's partnership with Joby is more inclusive. Joby bought Uber Elevate.Uber's urban aviation unit by 2020. Part of the deal is to integrate their respective services into each other's apps to allow for a more seamless connection between ground and air travel. In addition, Joby's air taxi software; ElevateOSFrom that collaboration, It promises on-demand mobility, not unlike an Uber ride.
Last October, Three companies held an event in NYC. They talked about their vision of connected mobility; It stopped just shy of announcing a full-fledged three-way partnership.
Joby, which is backed by both Uber and Delta, has yet to obtain the necessary certifications to operate an electric air taxi service. It aims to start selling in 2025..
Uber Spokesmen for Joby and Delta declined to comment on what I speculated would be the alliance.