The management of Airbnb considers establishing its own airline in attempt to expand its business. The future company will provide customers with any kind of travel services and customer-friendly application. According to the company, flights are a logical next step for the online holiday rental business, which has transformed tourism in the decade since it launched.
According to the founder of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, the idea is based on the Amazon concept: “a shop in which we can buy absolutely everything”. “We will have something similar, but within the travel industry”, added he.
It is interesting that during 2017, several studies were carried out on the impact of Airbnb on the hotel sector. According to analysts, renting accommodation through service in major cities (New York, Tokyo, London) is more profitable than booking a hotel. At the same time, only about 20% of travelers between the ages of 20 and 36 prefer Airbnb to traditional accommodation facilities. As for business travelers, they often do not allow travel policies to live in private apartments.
Airbnb is already one of the biggest tech firms in the world, with an estimated value of 30 billion USD. It has over 300 million users and, if Brian does decide to branch out into flights, could be serious competition for established airlines.
