Airbnb founder talks of plans to launch an airline

Ambition to get into ‘end-to-end trip business’, says Brian Chesky Continue reading →

The founder of Airbnb has spoken of his ambitions to “get into the end-to-end trip business”, including the possibility of launching an airline.

Brian Chesky told The Sunday Times said the firm has “seriously considered” a lot of things around aviation and “exploring different concepts”.

He told the newspaper that the firm wanted to challenge its image as a cheap alternative to hotels and become the Amazon of travel.

“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.”

Last week Airbnb announced a series of changes including to categorisations of its inventory, including new high-end luxury properties. It also unveiled a ‘super hosts’ scheme.

The Sunday Times said the firm became profitable last year and expects to hit the $4 billion annual turnover mark.