business

1/8/25

Delta dumps Lyft for Uber

When it comes to choosing a ride-hailing partner, Delta Air Lines has decided to go XL.

Yesterday the airline announced that ride-sharing and food-delivery giant Uber will join its SkyMiles loyalty program this spring, thus ending the eight-year partnership that the company has had with smaller rival app Lyft, which is set to expire on April 7.

The new deal will give Delta SkyMiles members with linked Uber accounts one mile for UberX rides, two miles for premium rides, and three miles for prescheduled trips for every dollar spent on airport rides in the app — as well as giving Uber Eats customers extra miles for food-delivery orders, and improving pickup and drop-off at Delta airport hubs.

While Uber’s CEO cited the “record number of travelers taking to the skies” in its press release, the loyalty program switch-up looks like it will also expand Delta’s horizons. At the end of the third quarter, Lyft had ~24 million active riders; Uber, meanwhile, reported 161 million monthly active users over the same period, posting more than 2.8 billion rides.

This really is a case of Delta breaking up with David to go out with Goliath. As of Jan. 7, Uber’s market cap was $139 billion, more than 23x the valuation of Lyft.

Delta links its loyalty program to Uber, ending partnership with Lyft

Delta Uber Lyft CNBC Getty

The new deal will give Delta SkyMiles members with linked Uber accounts one mile for UberX rides, two miles for premium rides, and three miles for prescheduled trips for every dollar spent on airport rides in the app — as well as giving Uber Eats customers extra miles for food-delivery orders, and improving pickup and drop-off at Delta airport hubs.

While Uber’s CEO cited the “record number of travelers taking to the skies” in its press release, the loyalty program switch-up looks like it will also expand Delta’s horizons. At the end of the third quarter, Lyft had ~24 million active riders; Uber, meanwhile, reported 161 million monthly active users over the same period, posting more than 2.8 billion rides.

This really is a case of Delta breaking up with David to go out with Goliath. As of Jan. 7, Uber’s market cap was $139 billion, more than 23x the valuation of Lyft.

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Volkswagen is reportedly closing in on its own, separate tariff deal with the US

In a bid to get its own tariff rate below the 15% applied to most EU exports, Volkswagen is dangling big US investments.

Speaking at a trade show Monday, VW CEO Oliver Blume said the automaker is in advanced talks on a deal to limit its own tariff burden. Volkswagen reported a tariff cost of $1.5 billion in the first half of the year.

Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Blume said the company is in close contact with the Trump administration and has had “good talks” about its separate deal. The current 15% tariff rate on EU vehicles would still “be a burden for Volkswagen,” Blume said.

A company reaching a tariff deal separate from its home country isn’t typical, though there’s already precedent this year, with Apple’s $100 billion US investment deal amid chip tariffs and President Trump’s threats to add a levy to smartphones. Nvidia and AMD similarly struck a deal to receive the ability to sell chips in China and in exchange agreed to give the US 15% of the revenue from those sales.

15% Tariff Would Be ‘A Burden’ on Volkswagen, CEO Says

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Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Blume said the company is in close contact with the Trump administration and has had “good talks” about its separate deal. The current 15% tariff rate on EU vehicles would still “be a burden for Volkswagen,” Blume said.

A company reaching a tariff deal separate from its home country isn’t typical, though there’s already precedent this year, with Apple’s $100 billion US investment deal amid chip tariffs and President Trump’s threats to add a levy to smartphones. Nvidia and AMD similarly struck a deal to receive the ability to sell chips in China and in exchange agreed to give the US 15% of the revenue from those sales.

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