During CES 2025, Uber announced an exclusive multi-year partnership with Delta Air Lines that will allow SkyMiles members to earn miles when they take Uber rides in the U.S. or order delivery with Uber Eats. The deal marks the end of Delta’s partnership with Lyft.
The partnership with Uber will begin this spring and will give Uber customers access to perks such as “an improved Uber pickup and drop-off experience at Delta hubs,” according to a statement from the company. When asked what this means, an Uber spokesperson did not provide further details.
Lyft and Delta formed a partnership in 2018. Expiration date is April 7, 2025.
“Years ago, we partnered with the first airlines to unlock more ways to level up and innovate their travel experiences, thereby turning customers into Lyft advocates. ” said a statement emailed from Lyft. “We continue to expand our horizons by partnering with major brands that share our customer obsession, including Alaska Airlines, Chase, DoorDash, Mastercard, Hilton, Disney, and Bild. Link your Lyft account Discover an ever-expanding world of benefits.
Uber will now pay customers with accounts linked to Delta SkyMiles members 1 mile per dollar spent on restaurant and grocery orders of $40 or more on Uber Eats, as well as Uber X rides to and from the airport. I promise. Premium rides like Uber Comfort and Uber Black earn users 2 miles per dollar spent. Passengers who book in advance will also earn 3 miles for every dollar spent.
A partnership with Delta Air Lines could be one step in bringing the company and Uber together with eVTOL startup Joby Aviation, which has its own partnerships with both Uber and Delta. The partnership between Delta Air Lines and Joby means that Delta customers will one day be able to use Joby’s electric air taxi service from New York City.
Uber and Joby’s partnership is more complicated. Joby acquired Uber’s urban air mobility division, Uber Elevate, in 2020. Part of that deal included integrating their respective services into each other’s apps to more seamlessly connect ground and air travel. Additionally, Joby’s air taxi software ElevateOS, which resulted from that partnership, promises to enable on-demand mobility similar to Uber rides.
Last October, the three companies held an event in New York to talk about their vision for connected mobility, just short of announcing a full-fledged three-way partnership.
Joby, backed by Uber and Delta Air Lines, aims to launch in 2025, although it still needs to obtain the necessary certifications to operate an electric air taxi service.
Spokespeople for Uber, Joby, and Delta declined to share any developments regarding the apparent partnership that I foresee.
