Lufthansa - Luxury Awaits Above The Clouds

Lufthansa - Luxury Awaits Above The Clouds

It’s been a while since an airline attempted to leverage the incredible global traction of Airbnb (the powerhouse travel accommodation sharing website valued at $30 billion) for marketing.

Two years ago, KLM used Airbnb to launch a contest where the winner got to stay in a remodelled airliner. This summer, Lufthansa, gave it a shot with the aim of promoting and selling seats in its long-haul Premium Economy.

In June Lufthansa listed itself as an Airbnb host, with a profile on the peer-to-peer accommodation platform. The airline then created a listing called ‘Luxury Awaits Above the Clouds’ (which has now been removed) listing a bed, four bathrooms, a common room, TV, air conditioning and wireless internet as amenities. In the listing, Lufthansa advertised its Premium Economy “accommodation” as follows: “Our cabin isn’t in the woods, but in the sky! Personal food and beverage service at 910km/h. Multimedia entertainment is included in our Lufthansa Premium Economy Seat from Frankfurt to NYC and Wi-Fi is available. Includes return flight.”

The only flight advertised was a Frankfurt to New York return, so the campaign was clearly intended for the German market. Passengers who took advantage would have certainly saved some cash, as the Airbnb price was just €699 (plus Airbnb fee), while the cheapest fare one reporter found online was about €934.

This story was picked up by several mainstream digital and travel publications including tnooz, The Economist, and Digital Trends.