CEO: Airbnb mulling airline business
Perhaps it was only a matter of time since it already has ‘Air’ in its name.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says the company could literally take off – by possibly launching its own airline.
Airbnb has been mulling the idea to enable it to offer ‘end-to-end trips’
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Chesky said: "We’ve seriously considered a lot of things around aviation and we’ve spent a lot of time exploring different concepts."
"We definitely want to make sure, though, that we can get into the end-to-end trip business."
Now valued at about $US31 billion it has the financial clout to spread its wings into aviation and has loyalty partnerships with airlines include Qantas.
However, Chesky did not say it any plan would actually mean operating its own flights as a bone fide airline.
It has previously mooted the possibility of offering flight tickets for sale.
The company has already announced a move into Airbnb-branded apartments and is heavily investing in the expansion of the Airbnb Experiences tours and activities service.
"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," Chesky added.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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