Airbnb Wants to Be Your Business Partner. Hosts Aren’t So Sure.

0:00ZS is a global consulting and technology firm that partners with companies to improve life and how we live it. Working with the world's top hospitality brands, ZS brings together data, science, technology, and human ingenuity to transform ideas into customer loyalty. They're ready to help you elevate guest experiences, improve operations, and uncover preferences and motivations through their AI-powered solutions. With more than 1 ,700 clients in over 170 countries, ZS has built the expertise, fortitude, and vision to help you deliver impact right where it matters.

0:48Tasmin Lockwood: Today, Europe hints at relief from those brutal borderlines, American Airlines swaps out its network chief, and is Airbnb quietly turning into a hotel-style franchisor? I'm Tasman Lockwood, SCIFT's Climate and Experiences reporter. It's Friday, October 16th, and this is the SCIFT Daily Briefing. First up, there's some hope if you stood in a European passport line lately. A senior European Commission official said yesterday that more flexibility may be coming for the EU's biometric entry-exit system, known as EES. Quick refresher. Since April, non-EU visitors to most of Europe have had to register fingerprints and a face scan at the border.

1:31Tasmin Lockwood: It's much slower than a passport stamp. Countries used to be able to skip the biometric step when lines got too long, but that option expired September 7th. Airlines, airports and nine governments, including France, Germany and Italy, fought to keep it. And earlier this week, Europe's airport and airline groups said wait still routinely top two hours and hit up to five at peak times. Speaking at Skift's transatlantic summit in Dublin, the commission's Maya Bacran Marsich said there will be some further flexibility. But she was also blunt. These queues are here to stay. The bottom line? Relief may be on the way, but EES isn't going anywhere.

2:14Tasmin Lockwood: And if you're headed to Europe, build in extra time at the border. Next, American Airlines is shaking up its leadership again. Network chief Ryan Znotinch is retiring, according to an internal memo seen by Skift. Nick Anderson, a nearly 20-year American and U.S. Airways veteran, takes over network planning November 1st. Znotinch was known for a cautious, domestic-heavy strategy. His boss, chief commercial officer Nat Piper, wants to rebuild America's Los Angeles hub and widen its lead in Latin America. American is also bringing in Margaret Mueller to run its Chicago business, right in the middle of a turf war with United, whose CEO said he wants to chase American out of O 'Hare.

2:56Tasmin Lockwood: Bottom line, new network chief, likely new direction. Watch whether American finally leans into international because that's where the money has been. Finally, is Airbnb becoming a franchisor? Last month, Airbnb launched a free dynamic pricing tool for hosts. Analysts at Bernstein called it step one towards a soft franchise, like how Marriott and Hilton work with owners, minus long contracts and the branding. Next could come revenue management, property software, cleaning coordination, even insurance. Bernstein estimates dynamic pricing alone could lift Airbnb's revenue 3-7 % and more if it starts charging for it.

3:36Tasmin Lockwood: But skeptics point out that serious hosts earn across Verbo, Booking.com and Expedia too. Former Verbo president Jeff Herz put it plainly, Airbnb has not earned the trust to throw them the keys. The bottom line, Airbnb wants to go from marketplace to business partner, but hosts don't live on one platform. And becoming their operating layer means earning trust it doesn't have yet. That's your Skiff Daily Briefing. I'm Tasman Lockwood. For more industry news, head to skiff.com and subscribe at skiff.com forward slash daily.

4:15Thank you.