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.
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.
