Skift Travel News

“I think high fuel prices more than any other factor, have created that sense of urgency amongst the industry to either improve through performance, improve through rationalization, improve through consolidation, or face being eliminated.” – Delta CEO Ed Bastian skift.com/2026/04/08/d...

Airbnb Takes Users for a Ride, Literally: Airbnb's services now include pre-booked rides from the airport – and maybe a different kind of airport trip soon. newsletters.skift.com/p/airbnb-tak...

The moment an AI agent handles the complexity of travel, the intermediation layer of online travel agencies and metasearch sites will have to answer why it exists — or at least why it commands the margin it does. Let’s run through some of the damage: skift.com/2026/03/02/t...

Widespread airspace closures and flight disruptions have occurred across the Middle East after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran. These attacks are not entirely surprising, but their impact on the travel industry will still be enormous. skift.com/2026/02/28/g...

JetBlue’s transatlantic ambitions are beginning to meet practical limits. Summer 2026 reflects an airline fine-tuning growth as slot constraints, fleet availability, and intensifying competition test its model. skift.com/2026/02/26/h...

Across Europe, governments are pushing travelers to choose trains over planes — but when rail tickets cost far more than budget airline seats, that's a tough sell. Source: https://bit.ly/45LiHP0

The policy is the latest effort by the Trump administration to tighten controls on entry to the U.S. Source: https://bit.ly/3HqZV7r

🚨 No executive can keep up with every shift in travel alone. That’s why the smartest companies send teams to Skift Global Forum 2025. Don’t just attend. Arrive with your team and leave with a competitive edge. Read more: https://bit.ly/4lFUb7M

Go behind the scenes to discover how Skift Global Forum is engineered for insight, candor, and connection. Here's how the travel industry's most talked-about event comes to life — and why it feels different from anything else. Source: https://bit.ly/41QoaTj

For today's pod we look at Tripadvisor's Viator options, Washington's hotel problems, and Alaska's new loyalty program. Source: https://bit.ly/4mWMzio

Inside travel’s political spending: where the industry’s money is going — new from me in @skift.com ‬⁩ skift.com/2025/06/24/i...

When Europe experienced a record heatwave in 2016, Ivan, a tour operator in Dubrovnik, thought it was going to be a one off. Turns out it was just the start. “I just thought 2016 was one of those summers which happens once every 20 years. The heat just lasts longer.” skift.com/2025/06/01/i...

Members of Congress help shape the future of the travel industry — and some are personally investing in it, too. My deep dive for @skift.com: skift.com/2025/05/20/t...

United Airlines and JetBlue Airways are entering a partnership. In a joint statement on Thursday morning, the carriers unveiled plans to bring their loyalty programs closer together. Funny enough, it’s called Blue Sky skift.com/2025/05/29/u...

Travel is now becoming part of India's soft power toolkit. And the country is no longer shying away from using its muscle to make that point. skift.com/2025/05/09/i...

When Donald Trump's political team can't stay at a Trump hotel, these are the places they stay. New from me in @skift.com: skift.com/2025/05/07/h...

My latest for @skift.com Make Alcatraz a Prison Again? The Impact on San Francisco’s Iconic Tour skift.com/2025/05/07/m...

“So very painful" sums up how many travel leaders are feeling on the first major milestone of the second Trump administration. skift.com/2025/04/30/t...

Tourism and travel industry had a treat for Trump. New from me in @skift.com: skift.com/2025/04/29/t...

Mandarin Oriental Debuts App and Revamps Loyalty Program Exclusive, via @skift.com skift.com/2025/04/29/m...

Sign up for our brand-new newsletter, The Trump Effect. It’s a new weekly read for travel industry executives navigating the turbulence of Trump-era policymaking. info.skift.com/en/thetrumpe...

With Donald Trump back in the White House and a new GOP-controlled Congress, the travel industry has no choice but to keep spending on lobbying — and spend it did. New from me in @skift.com: skift.com/2025/04/22/u...

President Donald Trump responded to a reporter’s question Wednesday on why he thinks tourism to the U.S. may be down: He said it could be nationalism on the part of tourists from other countries, though also said he “doubts it.” skift.com/2025/04/23/t...

We're updating our list with a more complete set of names because other hotel operators have finally reported their executive compensation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. skift.com/2025/04/16/w...

Exclusive Research: Travelers say they are less likely to visit the U.S. as a result of the political environment, according to a survey from Skift Research. skift.com/2025/04/15/t...

U.S. Tourism Data Warning: Visits From Europe Dropped in March skift.com/2025/04/08/u... Data is beginning to show that global travel interest to the U.S. is already impacted by the Trump administration's policies.

‘Growth Has Largely Stalled’: Delta CEO Sounds Alarm on Global Economy skift.com/2025/04/09/d... As the industry faces economic uncertainty, Delta delivered better-than-expected first quarter results.

U.S. Tourism Data Warning: Visits From Europe Dropped in March skift.com/2025/04/08/u... Data is beginning to show that global travel interest to the U.S. is already impacted by the Trump administration's policies and announcements.

Global travel stocks are being battered once again on Monday, with some of the industry's biggest names reporting double-digit same-day declines. skift.com/2025/04/07/w...

The 'unbundling' of airfares has spread into business class at premium carriers like Qatar Airways, KLM and now Etihad — with the trend showing no signs of slowing down. skift.com/2025/04/05/t...

Publicly traded travel brands are doing better than they were two weeks ago, but they're still down from 1%-9% over this time last month. Subscribe to any Skift membership plan to get sector-by-sector insights into global travel brands at the Skift Travel 200: data.skift.com/skift-travel...

As one of the world's busiest international airports, the full-day closure of Heathrow will have a global impact. skift.com/2025/03/21/l...

New hotel research preview: In this new report we explore how “live tourism” is reshaping the hospitality industry, driving unprecedented demand for hotels during major events such as concerts, sports tournaments, and cultural festivals. research.skift.com/reports/how-...

Memos circulating in the Trump administration list as many as 43 countries whose citizens could face restrictions on U.S. visits. Many of these nationalities hadn't been included when the previous Trump administration introduced restrictions and bans. skift.com/2025/03/15/t...

Funding Freeze on Fulbright Scholarships Leaves Students in Travel Limbo via @skift.com skift.com/2025/03/13/f...

We’re excited to showcase 10 remarkable up-and-coming female leaders who are setting new benchmarks in India’s rapidly evolving travel landscape. skift.com/2025/03/12/g...

Expedia has been heavily involved in sports marketing, and has been using influencers more frequently, all of which dovetails with the experience of the company's new senior vice president of brand marketing & creative. skift.com/2025/03/06/e...

United Airlines is embedding AI throughout the company. That’s what its CEO, Scott Kirby, told investors earlier this year as he outlined some of the company’s work. Here’s what he and other airline CEOs are saying about AI. skift.com/2025/03/05/a...

Morning Travel Pod 🎧: On today’s podcast, we break down the hotel loyalty race, share Alexa’s new travel skills, and explain Southwest’s new booking partnerships. skift.com/2025/02/27/h...

America’s golden ticket to citizenship is only available to those with deep pockets. While global elites can buy their way into the U.S., the door remains firmly closed for the less affluent. skift.com/2025/02/26/t...

Hyatt Hotels is expanding its reach into the so-called "upper-midscale" segment with a new brand, Hyatt Select, designed to attract cost-conscious travelers while offering hotel owners a conversion-friendly option with lower operational costs.

American Airlines is throwing its weight behind a new campaign to overhaul how London’s Heathrow Airport is regulated. On Monday, it announced it joined a trade group called Heathrow Reimagined. American is its first airline signatory based outside the United Kingdom. skift.com/2025/02/24/a...

It is disheartening to see the same publications that have previously reported on the perils of overtourism now behaving like golden retrievers chasing a tennis ball, sprinting after the hype with little critical reflection. skift.com/2025/02/22/t...

Southwest just had its first round of compulsory layoffs in its history. What does that mean for the low-cost pioneer and the industry as a whole? airlineweekly.skift.com/2025/02/is-s...

The emergence of AI platforms such as Perplexity, ChatGPT and others could see the travel industry redirect a huge chunk of marketing spend away from Google. Although Google has its own entrant, Gemini. skift.com/2025/02/20/t...

Skift analyzed Choice Hotels' financial filings on Thursday for 2024 and compared them with 2019. The numbers tell a compelling story. via @skift.com skift.com/2025/02/20/c...

MakeMyTrip, is on a mission to become more than just a flight and hotel booking platform. “Within travel, we want to be a travel superapp,” Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO of MakeMyTrip, told Skift in an exclusive interview. skift.com/2025/02/19/i...

"Here's a mostly empty office building that we want to turn into a cool hotel" is, in 2025, an easier sell to lenders than "Here's an empty lot that we want to turn into a cool hotel." That's true because of high interest rates and construction costs. skift.com/2025/02/18/i...

The UK’s push for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) could be facing turbulence. New government figures reveal that around 90% of the country’s SAF in 2024 came from used cooking oil imported from China. A supply that may not last. skift.com/2025/02/18/u...

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) said Monday it would acquire the Ruby hotel brand in a deal worth up to €291.5 million ($305.7 million), marking an expansion of its European portfolio. skift.com/2025/02/18/i...