Qantas - Qantas Airbnb

Qantas - Qantas Airbnb

Qantas and Airbnb forged a marketing deal which lets travelers to earn a point in the airline’s frequent flier program for every Australian dollar spent on total guest fees for shor t-term rentals on Airbnb proper ties.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has described the partnership as a natural part of the airline’s new “digital revolution.”

We know our many of our customers are just as likely to arrange an Airbnb as they are to book a hotel, and we wanted to recognise and reward them for that

Joyce said.

To qualify for rewards, the Airbnb rentals must be booked through qantas.com/ stay, which redirects customers to the Australian Airbnb website to complete their reservations, where airline has long sold accommodation and car rentals as ancillaries to flight bookings. Other airlines have adapted to this disruption through deals with Airbnb structured differently. Late last year, Virgin America launched a similar partnership with Airbnb.

Lufthansa ran a marketing campaign which offered seats on its premium economy cabin on Airbnb.

This campaign made the point that being onboard Lufthansa is very much like a home away from home. KLM also used Airbnb in a novel way to reflect its brand by listing a sleepover aircraft on the service.

But partnering with Airbnb is not without risk. While the lure of disruptors is strong, traditional hotel partners were angered by Qantas’ decision.

Large chains which feel threatened by the unregulated Airbnb model filed complaints in correspondence with Tourism Accommodation Australia.