How Booking Email Forwarding Works

Email forwarding — This is the foundation of Airflow. Forward a booking email, and the system does the rest.

The simplest workflow you’ll ever set up

Every resource you create in Airflow gets its own unique email address. When a booking confirmation lands in your inbox — from Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, Expedia, or any other platform — you simply forward it to that address.

That’s the entire setup. No API keys, no OAuth flows, no developer required.

What happens when you forward

The email arrives at your resource’s Airflow address
It’s queued for processing — nothing gets lost, even during a busy period
The details are read — Airflow reads the email and pulls out every detail (more on this in the next article)
A booking record is created in your portal with guest name, dates, pricing, platform fees, and payout amount

Supported platforms

Airflow recognises booking emails from all major OTAs and direct booking formats:

Airbnb — new reservations, modifications, and cancellations
Booking.com — confirmations and updates
VRBO / HomeAway — booking confirmations
Expedia — reservation details
Direct enquiries — any structured booking email
HomeExchange — zero-value home swap bookings

Airflow is built to detect booking-related details like reservation, confirmation, check-in, and payout across a range of email formats.

Automatic email connection

For an even smoother experience, connect your Gmail or Outlook account directly. Airflow will watch your inbox for booking emails automatically — no forwarding required. It scans for unread emails from known OTA senders, marks them as processed, and routes them through the same flow.

You can use both methods together: automatic scanning for your main inbox, plus manual forwarding for any emails that arrive elsewhere.

Multi-property routing

If you manage multiple properties, each resource has its own Airflow email address. Forward each booking to the correct resource address, and the system files everything in the right place. When using automatic email scanning, Airflow matches property names in the email subject and body to route bookings to the correct resource.

What doesn’t count as a booking

Not every email is a booking. Airflow distinguishes between:

Booking emails — these use one automated task from your plan’s allowance (pricing) and create a record
Review notifications — detected and tagged separately
General enquiries — processed but don’t use automated tasks
Settings changes — free, never use automated tasks