Skift Take
Airbnb has made it clear it's not a hotel company in the traditional sense, but with its latest loyalty play, it appears to be taking its lead from hotel-airline partnerships. Which makes us wonder: Will it eventually launch its own loyalty program in the not-so-distant future? Are other airline partnerships in other global regions also in the works now that they've already formed deals in Australia and the U.S.?
Members of Qantas Frequent Flyer's program now have another way to earn Qantas Points when they travel.
The Australian airline is teaming up with Airbnb to give its 11.4 million loyalty members one Qantas Point for every dollar they spend on an Airbnb booking made via Qantas.com.
To be able to earn points, Frequent Flyer members must choose the Airbnb option at Qantas.com/stay and enter their member details so they can be redirected to Airbnb's Australian site to complete their booking for any Airbnb listing worldwide. A member can't earn points by booking on Airbnb's site directly first.
At the moment, it appears this function is only available to members who book via Qantas' Australian site. For example, if you attempt to book a hotel via the U.S. site, the option to book an Airbnb does not appear.
Qantas already has similar partnerships with other hotel and accommodations providers that can be booked on its site, but this particular partnership with Airbnb is a first-of-its-kind airline partnership for the alternative accommodations provider, and a first for an airline, in Australia at least.
Last fall, Airbnb formed a similar partnership with Virgin America. With this partnership, Virgin America Elevate members earn one Elevate Point for every $1 spent on an Airbnb booking, with first-time Airbnb users receiving 1,500 bonus points and a $20 Airbnb credit. Elevate members are a
