Is Airbnb really planning to launch an airline?

Airbnb made waves recently with the announcement of its major platform updates. And now, reports say, they’re coming up with an even bigger plan. 

Is Airbnb really planning to launch an airline? In an interview with Sunday Times, the tech giant’s co-founder Brian Chesky revealed that the company is considering launching an airline.

So yes, it is true – Airbnb is seeking to transform itself from a home-sharing app to a ‘one-stop-shop for travel’.

Brain 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.”

When asked what the airline would be called, he chuckled and said: “Bnb Air!”

The home-sharing company has been tinkering with the idea of entering the aviation industry since last year. Back in April, Chesky asked his followers on what their perfect flying experience would look like:

His responses to his followers’ tweets showed that Chesky seemed to be focused on bringing a seamless experience. He wants to make air travel faster, cheaper and more convenient.

Although, I really do think we’re far from commercial supersonic travel.

These plans will change Airbnb’s brand as a ‘cheap alternative to hotels’ and it looks like Chesky’s grand ambitions aren’t slowing down anytime soon. He noted that Amazon’s business model is comparable to his business plans.

Chesky added: “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 want to be a one-stop shop for travel.”

So, are we going to see another revolution in travel?

Let’s wait and see if his ideas will take off.