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Airlines

Airline Weekly

Delta and Latam Airlines Look for a South American Edge Under New Partnership

Delta and Latam Airlines got some good news when U.S. regulators said they plan to green light the airlines new partnership. The pact will give the carriers a leg up in the competitive South American market.

17 hours ago

Airlines

Russia to Invest $14.5 Billion in Building Its Own Planes as Sanctions Bite

With its aviation industry tanking due to sanctions from the West and the seizure of planes from leasing companies, the Russian government is taking a serious step to salvage what's left of a decimated domestic market.

Edmund Blair, Reuters | 18 hours ago

Airlines

Scandinavia’s Debt-Ridden SAS Airline Looks to Denmark for Survival

With Sweden and Norway not wanting to remain long-term stakeholders, the survival of Scandinavian Airlines now hinges on Denmark. However, with Copenhagen's stake set to go up to 30 percent, how much of a deterrent would that be for potential private investors?

Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Gwladys Fouche, Reuters | 22 hours ago

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Business Travel

TikTok Being Deployed in the Mix to Recruit Younger Corp Travel Agents

Whatever it takes is the message today, with social media emerging a key battleground for talent.

Matthew Parsons | 19 hours ago

Business Travel

Abortion Travel May Land Companies in Legal Trouble, Warn Experts

While there are currently no rules that ban abortion travel, companies may have to navigate a complex patchwork of state laws if they support employees to exercise their reproductive rights.

Daniel Wiessner, Reuters | 3 days ago

Business Travel

Abortion Travel Benefit Adopted Quickly By Major Corporates After Supreme Court Ruling

It's good that these companies are stepping up to back their women employees' right to choose.

Dawn Chmielewski and David Shepardson, Reuters | 4 days ago

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Coronavirus

Half of the Biggest Tourism Economies Close to Full Travel Recovery

The "100 Club" now consists of seven members — seven countries where the travel industry performs at par or above 2019 levels. Another four countries are following closely behind. Things are starting to look almost "normal."

Wouter Geerts | 2 weeks ago

Airlines

U.S. to End Covid Test Requirement for Incoming Air Travelers

Airlines had been clamoring for the government to drop the pre-departure testing requirement for a long time, since they viewed it as a significant impediment to a complete recovery. Travelers aren't too sad about this development either.

Rashaad Jorden | 3 weeks ago

Coronavirus

Daily Podcast: Inflation Vs. Covid

Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, May 25, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Rashaad Jorden | 1 month ago

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Cruises

Carnival Says Inflation, Fuel Costs Could Hurt Recovery Momentum

Carnival survived the pandemic long enough to enter the booming travel surge. The cruise operator now has to sail through a new storm — historic inflation and surging costs.

Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Reuters | 5 days ago

Cruises

Royal Caribbean Isn’t Worried About Inflation Even With a $1.2 Billion Loss

Royal Caribbean — like its rivals in the cruise industry — has had a brutal last two years. But it can finally see a light at the end of tunnel in large part because it fully believes that consumers aren't deterred by rising prices.

Rashaad Jorden | 2 months ago

Cruises

Carnival CEO Arnold Donald Is Stepping Down

Donald has had to deal with the biggest crisis ever to hit the cruise industry, and leaves the company in still-uncharted waters with an uncertain path to recovery.

Matthew Parsons | 2 months ago

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Hotels

Accor to Recruit 12,000 Overseas Temp Workers in Time for Qatar World Cup

While operating 65,000 empty rooms in apartments and homes may be a logistical challenge even for Europe's largest hotel operator, Accor seeks to hire enough people to manage the operations.

Andrew Mills, Reuters | 2 hours ago

Hotels

China’s Hotel Groups Are Bouncing Back

Chinese hotels are now performing as well as they had been before the wave of coronavirus re-infection. Plus, news on Accor's expansion in India, Taiwan's tourism stimulus package, and more.

Sean O'Neill | 5 days ago

Hotels

Marriott CEO Says Hotel Group Is Building More Digital Tools for Guests

In a wide-ranging interview, Anthony Capuano said Marriott is testing adding buttons to its mobile app that would let guests choose their room assignments electronically or tip staff with online payments. The improvements couldn't come fast enough for many travelers.

Sean O'Neill | 6 days ago

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Meetings

Skift Meetings

Events May Turn Away From States Where Abortion Is Now Illegal

The U.S. Supreme Court’s seismic decision to strike down Roe v. Wade is sending shock waves through the events industry.

24 hours ago

Skift Meetings

3 Event Contract Trends in 2022

Sick of event contracts? They're even more complicated post-pandemic.

2 days ago

Skift Meetings

Can New Carbon Guidelines Really Transform Events?

The United Nations-backed Race to Zero campaign has updated its inclusion criteria to ensure members reduce and ultimately end all support for unabated fossil fuels. With organizations setting ambitious carbon reduction targets for their business travel and the purchasing of goods and services, there could be a significant impact on events.

6 days ago

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Mergers and Acquisitions

Hotels

Choice Hotels to Buy Radisson Hotel Group Americas for $675 Million

Choice wants to make its mark in the upscale segment. This is certainly one way.

Matthew Parsons | 2 weeks ago

Mergers and Acquisitions

Beyonk Snaps Up Bookinghound to Create UK’s Biggest Seller of Attraction Tickets

This deal will unite Beyonk's capital access with technology and geographic reach Bookinghound has. Bookinghound's founder will stay on, as Beyonk's CEO leads the combined company.

Tim Mullaney | 1 month ago

Mergers and Acquisitions

PlusGrade to Buy Points.com for $385 Million in Cash in Blockbuster Loyalty Deal

PlusGrade and Points.com deal with some of the same partners, and they can now approach them with a collaborative pitch.

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

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Online Travel

Daily Podcast: Expedia CEO’s Big Payday

Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, June 29 in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Rashaad Jorden | 38 mins ago

Online Travel

The Highest Paid Online Travel Agency CEOs

There is a degree of irrationality in CEO pay on many levels, including the companies' relative performance. The pay disclosures also expose the wide disparity in employee pay at Booking versus Airbnb.

Dennis Schaal | 4 hours ago

Online Travel

Skyscanner and Gogobot Acquisitions Help Trip.com Navigate China Domestic Travel Woes

Acquisitions can have unintended consequences. Trip.com Group likely didn't view the acquisitions of Skyscanner and Gogobot as hedges against the collapse of China travel.

Dennis Schaal | 18 hours ago

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Overtourism

Daily Podcast: Barcelona’s Overtourism Balancing Act

Good morning from Skift. It's Monday, June 27 in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Rashaad Jorden | 2 days ago

Overtourism

Barcelona Looks for Balance When Welcoming Post-Covid Tourism

Barcelona is trying to avoid limiting the growth of its tourism industry, yet again, balancing an economic reboot and residents’ needs. Failure might turn it into fresh territory for moving ahead with stricter policies as it looks to put its overtourism past behind it.

Paula Krizanovic, Skift | 5 days ago

Overtourism

Daily Podcast: Europe’s Massive Travel Surge

Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, April 12, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Rashaad Jorden | 3 months ago

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Rail

Brightline Aims to Carry Holiday Travelers to Orlando by Christmas

Brightline backer Fortress Investment is confident that trains will begin rolling, but maybe without passengers, to Orlando in time for the Christmas holidays.

Edward Russell | 3 weeks ago

Rail

Germany’s Good Intentions of a 9-Euro Discount Transit Pass May Just Backfire

Germany wants more people to ride trains and buses this summer with a nine-euro pass. But a surge in riders may hit the physical limits of the country's transport infrastructure.

Edward Russell | 3 weeks ago

Airlines

U.S. Extends Airline, Train Mask Mandate Into May

Travelers on planes, trains, and public transport in the U.S. need to wear masks a little bit longer. The CDC is extending its mask mandate by 15 days as it continues to evaluate easing the rules even as Covid-19 cases rise again.

David Shepardson, Reuters | 3 months ago

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Rental Cars

New Hertz CEO Will Be Ex-Goldman Sachs Finance Chief Stephen Scherr

Hertz's next CEO has his work cut out for him in remaking the company. The car rental firm's transformation plan sounds good on paper, but it will be up to Stephen Scherr to turn vision into reality.

Dennis Schaal | 5 months ago

Rental Cars

Turo’s Road to Carshare Profitability Seems Endless

If carsharing platform Turo can't make a profit in a red-hot rental car market like 2021, when will it?

Sean O'Neill | 5 months ago

Rental Cars

Avis Defies Skeptics With Stellar Quarter as Vaccinated Drivers Hit the Road

Avis has gotten an enormous boost from more people getting back on the road, and adding electric vehicles to its fleet could help give the company another huge source of revenue.

Medha Singh, Reuters | 8 months ago

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Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb Is Banning House Parties For Good

As Airbnb allows larger homes listed on the platform to be booked to full occupancy, it clearly understands that the 'parties and events allowed' search filter would have to go.

Gigi Zamora, Reuters | 1 day ago

Skift Research

Asia Pacific Accommodation Sector Market Estimates 2022

The accommodation sector in APAC is witnessing a fast paced recovery with 2022 revenue levels not far from reaching pre-pandemic levels. However, the composition of the industry remains unclear with short-term rentals revenue share decreasing in 2022.

6 days ago

Hotels

How the Asia Pacific Accommodation Sector Is Evolving: New Skift Research

The accommodation sector in APAC is witnessing a fast paced recovery with 2022 revenue levels not far from reaching pre-pandemic levels. However, composition of the industry remains unclear with short-term rentals revenue share decreasing in 2022.

Varsha Arora, Skift Research | 6 days ago

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Startups

A Big Bet on ‘Mystery Vacations’: Travel Startup Funding This Week

A London startup is betting that travelers will take mystery vacations, learning their destinations at the airport. A Czech travel agency raises $100 million for expansion. And other venture capital and funding news this week.

Tim Mullaney | 5 days ago

Startups

The Problems in Mondee’s Plan to Go Public

The air travel aggregator is likely to get a $1 billion valuation in a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. But its disclosures are thin, and paint something less than a picture of certain success.

Tim Mullaney | 6 days ago

Startups

Is There a Doctor On the Road? Travel Medicine Startup Raises $1.5 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Everyone has gotten sick on the road sometime. A startup says it can make telehealth the answer.

Tim Mullaney | 3 weeks ago

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Tour Operators

TUI CEO Friedrich Joussen Is Stepping Down

Growing numbers of travel businesses are making leadership changes to ready themselves for the next chapter. In TUI's case, the CEO believes change at the top is needed after mastering the "existential crisis."

Yadarisa Shabong, Reuters | 5 days ago

Tour Operators

Podcast: What’s Next for Tour Operators

Listen now for a forward-looking conversation about the opportunities in the multi-day tours sector, especially digitization and how a new focus on experience brings opportunities to tour operators.

Sean O'Neill | 3 weeks ago

Tour Operators

TUI Musement’s New CEO Tries to Use the Operator Legacy to Advantage in Tours and Activities

TUI Musement is an up-an-comer in the tours and activities space because of the parent company's huge base, and it knows how to run a tour. Now it has to execute on the digital challenge.

Dennis Schaal | 3 weeks ago

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Tourism

Kyrgyzstan’s $20 Billion ‘Eco-City’ Project Draws Ire for Greenwashing

If Kyrgyzstan wants to develop tourism, it should look to harness its abundant natural resources. The creation of a mammoth "eco -city" in an environmentally vulnerable area may not be the best boost for the country’s tourism potential.

Peden Doma Bhutia | 3 mins ago

Overtourism

Daily Podcast: Barcelona’s Overtourism Balancing Act

Good morning from Skift. It's Monday, June 27 in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Rashaad Jorden | 2 days ago

Overtourism

Barcelona Looks for Balance When Welcoming Post-Covid Tourism

Paula Krizanovic, Skift | 5 days ago

See All Tourism

Travel Booking

Daily Podcast: Hopper’s Hotel Fintech Treat

Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, June 8, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Rashaad Jorden | 3 weeks ago

Business Travel

Chase to Launch Consumer Travel Portal; Claims Top 5 U.S. Travel Provider With $8 Billion in Sales

Chase is doubling down on travel as an aspirational commerce category for its customers, with giant numbers to back up its ambitions. Expect some more travel M&A by these banks.

Rafat Ali | 1 month ago

Travel Booking

U.S. Travel Firms Flex Marketing Muscle to Lure Travelers Seeking Sun and Sand

The charts in this article capture the conundrum facing Airbnb, Booking Holdings, and Expedia Group. The online travel agency groups need their revenue to soar faster than their marketing expenses as the pandemic recovery unfolds.

Nilanjana Basu, Reuters | 2 months ago

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Travel Technology

Kenya’s Cashless Tourism Still Trailing Larger Digital Payment Success

Kenya is a prime example of how far cashless economies need to go, especially for tourism. The country's successes will need to be measured against the challenges.

Harriet Akinyi, Skift | 2 days ago

Travel Technology

Is Instagram the New Google for Travel? These Startups Say It Is

Startups like Tripscout, which just raised $10 million in venture capital, and Curacity say Instagram is the Next Big Thing in selling travel, much as Google was in the 2000s. Companies like TripAdvisor were built largely on their prowess at search marketing. Investors are betting that a company like these will be next.

Tim Mullaney | 4 weeks ago

Skift Research

Hotel Tech Benchmark: Customer Relationship Management 2022

Understanding the customer is becoming increasingly important to hoteliers, and CRM systems can help capture guest data and automate interactions to improve guest conversion and retention. For now, however, CRM remains a tool mainly used by larger hotels.

4 weeks ago

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Venture Capital

Data Firm Journera Raises Another $10 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Closely watched travel-data startup Journera raises another $10 million from big-name venture firms — and claims it can be profitable by next year. In a very different deal, an Alaskan airline is raising money online to fund expansion to Asia. Will it work? Since no major airline has tried it, it's hard to say.

Tim Mullaney | 4 weeks ago

Startups

Swiss Travel Startup Chain4Travel Raises $4.5 Million for Blockchain: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Chain4Travel raised money to promote blockchain-based travel sales, but the track record of success is short and the technology's comparative advantage over what travel agencies use now remains to be proven.

Tim Mullaney | 1 month ago

Startups

Why European Investing Giant Kinnevik Is Betting on Travel Startups

Even though Kinnevik is Europe's largest publicly listed startup investor, it has only recently begun to take stakes in travel startups. What it looks for in companies tells a broader story of how investors generally view the sector.

Sean O'Neill | 2 months ago

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