In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Airbnb founder Brian Chesky revealed he’s considering expanding his lodging company into include aviation.
“We’ve seriously considered a lot of things around aviation and we’ve spent a lot of time exploring different concepts,” Chesky said in the interview. “We definitely want to make sure, though, that we can get into the end-to-end trip business.”
He compared Airbnb’s plans to that of Amazon: "Of all the big tech companies, the way Amazon has approached building their business to a one-stop shop for shopping is probably most similar to what we're trying to do.
"We're trying to be a one-stop shop for travel."
This might not necessarily mean you will see Airbnb-branded aircrafts in the sky anytime soon; however, a likely scenario will be partnerships with airlines and joint loyalty programs.
Other recent news from the company included the addition of over 1,000 destinations to its Experiences section, with options such as Easter Island, Tasmania and Iceland. New Experiences categories include Airbnb Concerts, Social Dining, Adventures and Social Impact Experiences.
However, some of the biggest news revealed recently is that Airbnb has expanded its accommodation offerings to include hotels, luxury properties and a loyalty program for guests. While individual rooms have appeared on the site for some time, the website will now offer extra search categories to help find accommodations that aren’t located in someone’s home.
The new loyalty program will be a counterpart to the company’s existing Superhost program.
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