Airbnb Beats Q3 Estimates With Fastest Revenue Growth in Three Years and Lifts 2026 Outlook

ABNB reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $4.87 billion, up 18.9% year over year and 2.52% above consensus, while GAAP earnings of $3.16 per share rose 43% from $2.21 a year earlier and cleared the Zacks consensus by 10.49%. CEO Brian Chesky told Bloomberg the company is "back in growth mode" after its fastest revenue gain in three years. Shares rose on the upbeat outlook and traded about 12% higher in Friday's session, according to SentiSense market data.

The demand numbers carried the quarter. Nights and Seats Booked grew 16% to 155 million, and gross booking value rose 21% to $27.7 billion, with average daily rate up 4% to $179. Growth also accelerated from the prior quarter: bookings rose 16% versus 10% in Q2, though the reserve-now-pay-later option added a net ~3 points, so underlying bookings grew closer to 13%. Adjusted EBITDA rose 22.3% to $2.51 billion for a 52% margin, and the company bought back roughly $700 million of stock and added a new $12 billion repurchase authorization.

The outlook is the second leg of the move. Airbnb guided fourth-quarter revenue to $3.22 billion to $3.28 billion, or 16% to 18% growth including about 2 points of currency tailwind, and lifted full-year 2026 revenue growth to the high teens from at least the mid-teens, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of about 36%.

Two details temper the print. Free cash flow grew only about 6% against 19% revenue growth, and the reserve-now-pay-later boost to bookings comes with a cancellation rate that rose from about 16% to 19%. The longer-running debate is AI agents: an independent analyst framed the quarter as a return to growth while flagging outside AI booking agents as a lasting worry, and Airbnb says it plans to launch its own AI travel agent in the first half of 2027. Investors will watch whether bookings hold at least low double-digit growth in Q4, as guided, once the payment-option tailwind laps.