Airbnb Q3 2024 financial results

We issued our third quarter 2024 financial results. You can read the details here. Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: 

“We had another strong quarter at Airbnb, with bookings growth accelerating throughout Q3 and into Q4.  I’m especially proud of the growth across our expansion markets, app bookings, and Guest Favorite listings, and I’m looking forward to another strong holiday travel season.”

Overview of Q3 results

Airbnb had a strong Q3. Nights and Experiences Booked accelerated throughout the quarter and into Q4, despite a softer start due to shorter booking lead times compared to 2023. Revenue grew 10% year-over-year to $3.7 billion. Net income was $1.4 billion, representing a net income margin of 37%. Adjusted EBITDA of $2.0 billion increased 7% year-over-year and represented an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 52%. We generated $1.1 billion of FCF during Q3 and $4.1 billion of FCF over the trailing twelve months, highlighting the strength of our cash-generating business model. 

During the quarter, we made significant progress across our three strategic priorities:  

• Making hosting mainstream: We’re focused on making hosting just as popular as traveling on Airbnb. Today, we have over 8 million active listings, with growth seen across all regions and market types during Q3 2024. To retain and attract new hosts, we’ve prioritized making hosting easier. Last month, we introduced Co-Host Network, an easy way to find the best local hosts to manage your Airbnb. Co-hosts are experienced hosts who provide personalized support based on the hosts’ needs, from listing setup to managing bookings and communicating with guests. 
• Perfecting the core service: Over the past three years, we’ve launched more than 535 new features and upgrades to make Airbnb an overall better service for hosts and guests. Our 2024 Winter Release included over 50 upgrades for guests that make the app more personalized, including recommended destinations, suggested search filters, and personalized listing highlights. We’re also addressing one of the top issues for guests: listing quality. Since last year, we’ve removed over 300,000 listings that failed to meet guest expectations. 
• Expanding beyond the core: Outside of our core markets, there are many countries and regions that remain under-penetrated. We’re focused on these expansion markets as part of our global markets strategy, and we believe our approach is working. In Q3, the average growth rate of nights booked on an origin basis in our expansion markets was more than double that of our core markets. We’ll remain focused on accelerating growth while preparing for Airbnb’s next chapter, which will take us beyond accommodations. You’ll see more on this next year. 

Q3 2024 financial results

Here’s a snapshot of our Q3 2024 results: 

• Q3 revenue was $3.7 billion, up 10% year-over-year. Revenue increased to $3.7 billion in Q3 2024 from $3.4 billion in Q3 2023, primarily driven by solid growth in nights stayed and a modest increase in Average Daily Rate (“ADR”). 

• Q3 net income was $1.4 billion, representing a 37% net income margin. Net income decreased to $1.4 billion in Q3 2024 from $4.4 billion in Q3 2023, primarily due to the prior year’s valuation allowance release of our U.S. deferred tax assets of $2.8 billion, and the recognition of non-cash tax expense related to the utilization of some of those assets in the current year.

• Q3 Adjusted EBITDA was $2.0 billion, up 7% year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $2.0 billion in Q3 2024 from $1.8 billion in Q3 2023, which demonstrates the continued strength of our business and discipline in managing our cost structure. Adjusted EBITDA Margin was 52% in Q3 2024, down from 54% in Q3 2023.¹ 

• Q3 Free Cash Flow was $1.1 billion, representing a FCF Margin of 29%. In Q3 2024, net cash provided by operating activities was $1.1 billion compared to $1.3 billion in Q3 2023. The year-over-year decline in cash flow was driven primarily by a $163 million payment to the IRS related to an outstanding matter. Our TTM FCF was $4.1 billion, representing a FCF Margin of 38%.²     

• Q3 share repurchases of $1.1 billion. Our strong cash flow enabled us to repurchase $1.1 billion of our Class A common stock in Q3 2024. Share repurchases for the trailing twelve months totaled $3.3 billion and helped us to reduce our fully diluted share count from 681 million at the end of Q3 2023 to 665 million at the end of Q3 2024. As of September 30, 2024, we had the ability to purchase up to $4.2 billion of our Class A common stock under our current share repurchase authorization. 

Business highlights

Our strong quarter was driven by a number of positive business highlights: 

• Guest demand accelerated during the quarter. In Q3, Nights and Experiences Booked increased 8% year-over-year. After a slower start to the quarter, bookings accelerated steadily each month, returning to double-digit growth by the end of Q3. Global lead times also normalized throughout the quarter. Growth has been partly driven by our app strategy with nights booked on our app increasing 18% year-over-year in Q3. App bookings now account for 58% of total nights booked—up from 53% in the same period last year. We also saw continued growth of first-time bookers, particularly with our youngest travelers.

• Our global markets strategy is working. In Q3, the average growth rate of gross nights booked on an origin basis in our expansion markets was more than twice the rate of our core markets. While our timing and investment level vary by market, our strategy is consistent: make Airbnb local and relevant. In each market, we focus on finding product-market fit, increasing awareness, and driving traffic. Japan is one example. Airbnb is still relatively new to Japanese travelers. In order to raise awareness, we launched a brand campaign last month centered on domestic travel. Beyond Japan, we’re also introducing more local payment options in countries like Vietnam, Denmark, and Poland. By Spring 2025, we expect to offer nearly 40 local payment methods across five continents.

• Supply quality is improving on Airbnb. We’re focused on removing low-quality supply and making it easier for guests to find the best places to stay. Since last year, we’ve removed over 300,000 listings. As a result, customer service issue rates have decreased, and guest net promoter scores have improved. We’ve also made it easier for guests to find the best places to stay with Guest Favorites and top listing highlights, which show percentile ranking for the top 1%, 5%, and 10% of eligible homes. Since launching a year ago, over 200 million nights have been booked at Guest Favorite listings, and nights booked with Superhosts have increased by 21%. Lastly, we’re reducing host cancellations, which, though rare, are a significant pain point for guests. In Q3, host cancellation rates decreased nearly 30% compared to last year.