Skift

Episode Notes Airbnb said on Monday it’s approaching 1.5 million verified listings, a key part of its strategy to build trust among users, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. The company added that badges will be pinned to listings that have completed the verification process. Airbnb has long struggled to deal with fake listings and scammers, Airbnb’s verification push is designed to combat those issues. The short-term rental giant said it removed 59,000 fake listings last year.  Airbnb first pledged to verify all of its listings in November 2019. The company recently said it had 7.7 million active listings at the end of last year.  Next, JetBlue Airways announced that it has reached an agreement with Spirit Airlines to end their proposed merger, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.  A federal judge had blocked the merger in January on the grounds that the combined airline would raise fares and hurt consumers. Both airlines said they believed it was unlikely that all the conditions for the merger wo