Airbnb is taking another small but telling step toward becoming a full-blown travel app. The company has started offering private car transfers in more than 125 cities across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, letting guests book airport and station rides inside the Airbnb app instead of juggling a separate transfer service.
The feature is live from today in cities including Paris, Bali, and Mexico City. It is not available in the United States, Canada, or Africa yet, although Airbnb says those regions are on the roadmap. That geographic gap is a reminder that the company still likes to test travel add-ons where cross-border tourism is high and local transport logistics are messy.
How Airbnb private car transfers work
Airbnb says guests can pre-book a private car to or from their listing through the Trips tab. Arriving travelers can opt for a meet-and-greet pickup with a named driver at the airport or station, while departing guests can arrange a ride straight from their Airbnb. The whole process stays inside the app, which is the point: fewer tabs, fewer handoffs, fewer chances for a traveler to wander off into a competitor’s checkout flow.
- Available in more than 125 cities
- Covers Asia, Europe, and Latin America
- Bookable in the Airbnb app via the Trips tab
- Works for airport and station transfers, both arriving and departing
Why Airbnb wants the whole trip
This is classic Airbnb strategy: start with stays, then attach more of the journey until the app becomes the default travel control panel. The company launched Airbnb Services in May 2025 with categories including chefs, photography, massage, spa treatments, personal training, hair, makeup, nails, prepared meals, and catering across 260 cities. Private car transfers now join that list, which is a lot more ambitious than selling you a bed and calling it a day.
The move follows a pilot earlier in 2026 in Europe and Asia, where Airbnb says thousands of guests used the service and rated it 4.96 out of 5. For comparison, lots of travel brands talk a big game about ”frictionless” experiences; Airbnb is trying to remove one of the most irritating bits of travel, the airport pickup, where uncertainty and fatigue tend to hit at the same time. That is also where the commercial logic is strongest: the booking is immediate, the need is obvious, and the app already has the customer.
Welcome Pickups gets distribution, Airbnb gets stickiness
The partner here is UK-based Welcome Pickups, which supplies the transfer service behind the scenes. Airbnb says bookings can be made, viewed, and changed entirely within its own app, rather than pushing users onto Welcome Pickups’ platform. That is a decent deal for both sides: Welcome Pickups gets access to Airbnb’s traffic, while Airbnb keeps the user relationship and the checkout.
CEO Brian Chesky has already signaled the bigger ambition on earnings calls, framing airport pickup alongside grocery delivery as part of an effort to own the ”entire trip,” not just the stay. Airbnb executives repeated that idea at ITB Berlin in March, where they sketched out a travel stack that spans vacation rentals, hotels, and airport rides. More cities are expected to be added throughout 2026, which suggests this is less a side feature than another brick in Airbnb’s attempt to become the place you start and end a journey.