DURBAN – Airbnb has announced that aviation industry pioneer Fred Reid has joined Airbnb as Global Head of Transportation.
In his role, Reid will focus on building partnerships and services that make travel seamless while delivering the kind of people-to-people hospitality Airbnb is known for around the world.
"There was a time when getting on a plane was a magical trip of its own, but over the years, how you get to where you're going has become an experience we endure, not enjoy. We believe that needs to change," said Airbnb Co-Founder, chief executive and Head of Community Brian Chesky.
Chesky added that they couldn't ask for anyone better to take on this monumental task than Reid, and he is honoured that Reid agreed to work with them.
A global aviation expert with more than three decades of experience, Fred has a proven track record of innovating and building products that have been loved by consumers around the world. He joins Airbnb from his role as President of Cora Aircraft Program, a division of Kitty Hawk, where he oversaw the development of one of the most advanced autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in the world. Reid has also worked at Virgin America, Delta Airlines and Lufthansa German Airlines as well as Star Alliance.
'Airbnb and its incredible global community have revolutionized where you stay and what you can do when you travel," said Fred Reid, Airbnb’s Global Head of Transportation.
He added, "I’m excited to work with them to tackle the third part of the travel experience: how you get there. Whether in the air or on the ground, there are tremendous opportunities to create products and forge partnerships with other companies that make travel easier and even fun. Realising those opportunities will take years and require constant experimentation, and I’m truly honoured to have the chance to take on such an audacious challenge with this team."
As we move forward, Reid and the Airbnb team are uniquely positioned to use the Airbnb platform to partner with others in the travel and tourism industry to deliver better travel experiences to millions of people around the world and create significant economic opportunities for these partners.
Chesky stated that they are going to explore a broad range of ideas and partnerships that can make transportation better but they haven’t settled on exactly what those will look like.
"I’m not interested in building our own airline or creating just another place on the Internet where you can buy a plane ticket, but there is a tremendous opportunity to improve the transportation experience for everyone," said Chesky.