Uber Continues Experiments With In-App Travel Products

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Sarah Littauer, a 27-year-old photographer based in Australia. She shares what she's learned since moving to Perth, Australia in 2019. It's been edited for length and clarity. 

John Legend is a founder of a startup building what it says is an “invite-only” social media app for restaurant reviews.

Travel apps and websites have significant room to improve in comparison to other industries, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Travel App Satisfaction and the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Travel Website Satisfaction Studies released Tuesday.The reports evaluate satisfaction with travel apps and websites in three different segments, including airline, hotel and rental car, considering key variables that influence customer choice, satisfaction and loyalty based on six factors: account management, day of travel/duration of stay (app only), navigation, reservation, speed and visual appeal.Research shows that airline, hotel and rental car app and website satisfaction trails the highest-scoring apps and websites in other industries. Specifically, overall satisfaction with travel-related digital travel channels is lowest among airline websites at 640 (on a 1,000-point scale).Meanwhile, hotel apps (682) and rental car apps (681) perform best among digital travel tools compared to airline apps (672), rental car websites (662), hotel websites (646) and the aforementioned airline websites (640).According to J.D. Power, the digital tools used most frequently on the day of travel are the boarding pass, check-in and flight status trackers on airline mobile apps. Nonetheless, their overall satisfaction scores pale in comparison to less frequently used tools such as those used for purchasing upgrades or tracking baggage.In terms of travel apps, Alaska Airlines ranks highest in overall satisfaction among airlines with a score of 688, followed by Southwest Airlines (687) and JetBlue Airways (680).

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Accidentally leaving your phone behind is a traveler’s worst nightmare. But what if you purposely left it behind? Would you have a better trip if you weren’t glued to your phone, snapping selfies and choosing where to eat based on Yelp reviews?

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Longer vacations are trending within the travel industry, not only offering your clients unforgettable getaways to their dream destinations, but also presenting you with an opportunity to increase your commissions. In response to increasing consumer demand for longer vacations, AmaWaterways has introduced a collection of specially curated 14-night Grand River Cruises. 

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CEO Dara Khosrowshahi took the stage at Skift Global Forum in New York City last week and discussed Uber’s high burn rate, its use of artificial intelligence, and the United Kingdom as a test market.

Brandon Townsley. (Photo Credit: Celestyal)