Qantas partners with Airbnb to make frequent flyers right at home

Qantas Frequent Flyer members will now have the opportunity to earn Qantas Points when they book their Airbnb accommodation through qantas.com.

Australia’s national carrier has partnered with the accommodation leader to reward Qantas Frequent Flyer’s 11.4 million members with one Qantas Point for every dollar they spend on any of Airbnb’s 2.5 million accommodation listings across 191 countries.

The partnership marks the first time Airbnb has worked with an airline in this way to reward their frequent flyer members when booking accommodation through the airline’s website - and is the next step in Qantas’ partnerships with innovative digital and technology businesses.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said it was a natural fit for two global brands with a track record of wanting customers to feel at home when they travel and who use technology to create great experiences for their customers.

“The way that people around the world plan, book and experience travel is changing rapidly with the digital revolution,” Mr Joyce said. “We know that our customers today 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.

“From creating business class in the 1970s to getting rid of check-in and bag-drop queues in recent years, Qantas has always looked for ways to reinvent airline travel - just like Airbnb has done for accommodation. Working with them feels like a real meeting of minds and we’re excited about the potential for this partnership.”

Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said the number one reason people travel on Airbnb is because they want to feel like they truly live in their destination, even if it’s just for a night.

“Our announcement today with Qantas highlights the rapidly growing movement towards the personalised and unique experiences available through the Airbnb community, ” Mr Chesky said.

“People around the world are experiencing a different way to travel through Airbnb. We’re focused on connecting people with the hospitality of locals, welcoming travellers into their communities so they can truly belong anywhere. There are just a handful of global brands who understand that travel is now changing for the better. Qantas is one of those brands.”

To celebrate the new partnership, Qantas and Airbnb are offering Qantas Frequent Flyer members the chance to win the ultimate Qantas Airbnb experience for members who book an Airbnb via qantas.com by the end of October 2017.

The prize includes four return Business class tickets on Qantas to San Francisco for the winner and three guests from the winner’s closest Qantas port in Australia, Qantas First Lounge access in Sydney prior to departure, five nights’ Airbnb accommodation in San Francisco using an Airbnb voucher to the value of $5000, $4000 spending money loaded onto a Qantas Cash card, and return transfers from/to San Francisco airport.