Airbnb is a service that allows you to rent a room or an entire place in countless cities across the globe. If you have a spare room in your home, you can easily put it up for rent on Airbnb and host travelers from all across the globe. It’s a good way to earn some money on the side or settle for cheap accommodation in a new city. Apparently, Airbnb wants to do more than just connect renters with hosts. Airbnb reportedly wants to get into the flight booking game.
Citing people familiar with the plans, Bloomberg reports that Airbnb is developing a flight booking tool as it seeks to compete with the likes of Priceline and Expedia to capture a bigger piece of the online travel booking pie.
The report mentions that development of the Airbnb flight booking tool is still in early stages and that the company is considering multiple options to break into this arena. It might even acquire an online travel agency or license data from providers like Sabre and Amadeus.
Airbnb has gradually expanded its offerings beyond just rooms. It’s now allowing users to book tours, make restaurant reservations, and purchase additional travel services from within the app. Offering users the ability to book flights really seems like a natural fit for the company.
If and when its flight booking tool does launch, Airbnb will be competing against the likes of Priceline and Expedia which operate two of the largest online flight booking tools.
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