Uber’s new pickup directions and walking ETAs can finally help you escape the airport

Uber will ‘soon’ release step-by-step walking instructions with ETAs for navigating airports and catching your ride on time — which additionally will be reservable up to 90 days in advance.

We’ve somehow gone years without Uber holding our hands from the gate to the baggage claim area, out the door, and to an Uber pickup zone where a normal reserved Uber X ride is waiting for us. Now the company is making all of that possible: giving users full walking instructions — complete with photos — for various airports, adjusted ETA times that include walking to baggage claim, and expanding Uber Reserve options that includes booking rides up to 90 days in advance.

“You’re not just getting to and from the airport, but also getting through it with less stress,” Uber’s head of product for rides, Jen You, states in a press release. Step-by-step directions from gate to baggage claim to Uber pickup are rolling out to 30 airports worldwide — including ATL, BWI, ORD, LAX, MIA, EWR, JFK, SFO, IAD, DEL, and MAD. The company will expand this to even more airports in the “coming months.”

In addition to the new detailed directions, Uber will start calculating walking ETAs soon at more than 400 airports to estimate the time it will take to get from the gate to baggage claim. This will help users not worry about when to call an Uber and prevent drivers from waiting too long.

Uber’s Reserve service has now been expanded across most of the US and Canada, and the company is rolling out the ability to lock down rides from the previous 60-day maximum to 90 days. It’ll even include extra wait time for you to get to the car and allows for a no-charge cancellation for up to 60 minutes in advance.

Uber Reserve lets you select from any ride as well, from UberX to Comfort Electric to Uber Black SUV. New York City customers landing at JFK previously could only reserve Black and Black SUVs but now can get access to UberX, XL, and Comfort.

Finally, business class customers will soon get access to Uber’s exclusive Business Comfort in select cities. And if you’re hungry in all the hustle and bustle of airport life, there’s a line-skipping Uber Eats service available at Tampa International, Charlotte Douglas International, Columbus International, and Toronto Pearson airports.