Where's Our Super App?

Neither Google nor Uber has built a true super app yet.

GOOD DAY, READERS.

Uber can sell you almost anything, but can't help you decide what to buy. Google Maps knows everything about the world around you, then hands you off when it's time to make a purchase.

They're the two credible super app contenders in the West, but seven years after Skift first asked if Maps could pull it off, neither has cracked it. Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali breaks down why the West may never get a real super app — and what to watch for next.

SKIFT PLAYBOOKS

On July 14 at 2pm ET, we're launching a six-week series of Skift Playbooks to help the travel industry better understand all angles of its business, from hard news to content marketing to leadership development to market sizing and beyond.

Next Tuesday’s session is led by Airline Weekly experts to discuss airlines' most volatile year since Covid.

DON’T MISS THESE STORIES

The West Got Two Half-Apps Instead of a Super App: Google Maps vs. Uber

By Rafat Ali

Uber owns the transaction, and Google Maps owns the moment before it, and in the first half of 2026, both started using AI to cross into the other's territory. Travel distribution sits directly in the path.

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Accor and China’s H World Detail Plans to Link Their 19,000 Hotels

By Luke Martin

The two companies tout 430 million loyalty members between them. The test is how many actually book.

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Air Canada Names SAS Chief Anko Van der Werff as New CEO

By Gordon Smith

The outgoing Air Canada CEO couldn't speak French. His successor speaks that, plus five more to varying degrees.

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New Report: Where Ambition Becomes a Destination

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT FUND + SKIFT

The next five years in Saudi Arabia tourism will determine the global order of the travel industry for the next 50 years. Based on a new survey of over 400 travel executives, this new research explores five paths to sustainable success in travel and tourism investments across the Kingdom.

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For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.

MORNING HEADLINES

Scapia Wants to Own India’s Next Wave of Travelers — Through Their Credit Cards

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Fattal Buys Its First U.S. Hotel, Testing an Asset-Heavy Model Against the Giants

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Delta Launches Stripped-Down Business-Class Fares

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GMH Hotels: The Supply Gap That Could Change Hotel Pricing.

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SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK

AI Search Just Flipped Faster Than Anyone Expected and OTAs Are Scrambling

Three years ago, the first AI model dropped. One year ago, agentic search was in the single digits. Today, it accounts for more than half of all searches.

In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Wil Slickers break down what that speed of change actually means for travel distribution. OTAs have spent billions dominating Google SEO and SEM. They are the incumbents, and they are in pole position. But the window between now and when they fully adapt is a real opportunity for individual operators, management companies, and hotels to get found through agentic search first and cut the middleman out entirely.

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SKIFT TRAVEL 200

How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here.

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