Travel

Skift Take The plan doesn’t actually eliminate cleaning fees. More so, it’s meant to prevent users from seeing an unexpected price jump just before check-out — arguably the more frustrating issue. Justin Dawes Can Airbnb clearing fees be eliminated? “Essentially, yes,” said Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Chesky shared more information about the plan for cleaning …

Airbnb CEO on ‘Essentially’ Eliminating Cleaning Fees Read More »

Skift Take A summer in Capri or Sicily? What drugery! As European spots burst at the seams in peak seasons, local residents are opting to escape as fast as they can. Josh Corder This past summer, Instagram feeds were plastered with videos of tourists in Italy. You’d see a video of the Trevi Fountain with …

Summer Travel Boom Hurts Domestic Tourism and Prices Out Locals Read More »

Skift Take Carnival Cruise executives don’t see the macroeconomic slowdown everybody is talking about. Dawit Habtemariam Carnival Cruise executives had their conference call to discuss third-quarter results Friday, and Wall Street analysts kept asking about the risk of a consumer slowdown. The answer was always the same: “We’re trying to say it as plainly as …

Carnival Cruise: No Signs of Consumer Spending Slowdown Read More »

Skift Take Omer Acar runs some of the most old-school luxury hotel brands in the world, in Raffles and Orient Express, but looking ahead, he’s thinking about how to move with the times. The answer: Services over goods. Josh Corder The current generation of high-spending hotel guests don’t care about your thread counts, fruit baskets …

The Future of Luxury? Look to Retail, Says Raffles Boss Read More »

Skift Take There’s no end in sight for the dispute over Schiphol Airport’s planned flight caps. And it could take even more turns, with JetBlue stating it asked the U.S. government to take action against Dutch carriers if no resolution could be reached. Rashaad Jorden U.S. carrier JetBlue Airways said on Friday it had …

JetBlue Files Complaint Over Schiphol Airport Flight Curbs Read More »

Skift Take U.S. National Parks — one of America’s most vital attractions — would become unavailable to millions of tourists and locals. Dawit Habtemariam Most U.S. National Parks will shut down their operations if U.S. lawmakers don’t reach a deal to fund the federal government by Saturday night, the Department of Interior said Friday in …

U.S. National Parks Will Close if There’s a Government Shutdown Read More »

Skift Take While flights and hotels are the backbone of the travel industry, the demand for experiential travel creates a ripe playground for AI disruption to focus on the experience economy. Selene Brophy Search for a tour or activity for your next trip and you’ll get a list of ideas – but no real sense of …

GetYourGuide CEO Wants to Change Boring AI Text Search Read More »

Skift Take Competition certainly played a role in the Expedia-Hopper split. Which company suffered the greatest? The larger company, Expedia, had more resources to absorb a hit. Dennis Schaal Hopper founder and CEO Fred Lalonde said Expedia Group’s decision to abruptly remove its hotel inventory in July was driven by competition, and claimed it was …

Hopper CEO Claims Expedia Lost Bookings After Their Split Read More »

Skift Take United’s agreement to improve flight access for wheelchair users is a long overdue step, considering far too many travelers with disabilities can tell horror stories about air travel. Rashaad Jorden United Airlines on Thursday said it will improve air travel for passengers using wheelchairs under an agreement with the U.S. Transportation Department following …

United Airlines Agrees to Improve Travel for Wheelchair Users Read More »

Skift Take Uber has been experimenting with an expanded travel app in the UK. Results are looking good, so those trials will continue. Justin Dawes Uber is pushing forward with experiments in other areas of travel. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi detailed some of the plans on Thursday during the final session of the 2023 Skift …

Uber Continues Experiments With In-App Travel Products Read More »