How Lyft and United Airlines Are Building the Case for Mobility as a Media Category

For United, that window has proved measurable. The airline has been running in-app advertising within Lyft targeting travelers already in a travel mindset, serving carousel ads highlighting routes, lounges, and loyalty perks to riders on their way to the airport.

“We’ve seen great view rates, clickthrough rates, people following through to go to United.com and maybe even start searching for their next flight,” Fedor said.

Building a new category

Both Fedor and Dwyer were candid that mobility media doesn’t yet have a fixed place in most brands’ budgets. Therefore, establishing it as a recognized investment category is part of the work.

“This is not a social media category that’s been planted in the ground for 15 years,” Dwyer said. “It’s not search. It is travel media. It is mobility media.” Dwyer’s goal is that when brands are planning for next year, there is already a mobility media line item in the budget, along with  production and creative strategies built around how to talk to people when they’re on the move.

Getting there, he said, required years of listening. “The first couple of years we were literally just talking to as many partners as we could and saying, ‘What do you need us to do? How do you need to measure? What tech do you need us to utilize?’”

That process is now shifting toward building. Fedor hinted at a product in development, focused specifically on the New York market, designed to help United make the case for Newark as a preferred departure point for Manhattan-based travelers.

Newark is an hour closer than JFK for New Yorkers who live on the West Side, Dwyer said. “That market insight can change consumer behavior. Once you realize that and you do it once, that’s all it takes.”

Looking ahead

United is celebrating its 100th year of operation this year as well as embarking on an ambitious product roadmap. That roadmap includes a full fleet rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi, which Fedor described as a potential inflection point for the brand.

“Through a lot of consumer research, we found that one of the most motivating factors for people when they’re flying is they want reliable, fast Wi-Fi,” she said. United was the first major airline to partner with Starlink, and expects half its fleet to be equipped by the end of this year. The full rollout is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

For Lyft, the company’s upcoming initiatives include geographic expansion. The company recently acquired Free Now, a taxi app operating across 180 European cities, and Get UK, extending its footprint into London. Lyft is also expanding with autonomous vehicles through partnerships with Waymo and Baidu, and moving into more upmarket territory with the acquisition of luxury chauffeur service TBR.

“Very excited for smooth travel home through both of your fantastic organizations,” Kneebone said, in closing. “And maybe next year the boat moves.”