Skift Daily Travel Briefing Skift Travel News

Episode Notes
Airlines have recently gotten a big boost from a segment many airlines thought would continue to struggle — business travel, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. 
Delta Air Lines said corporate bookings were up 14% in the first quarter. Delta President Glen Hauenstein said 90% of the companies it surveyed said they plan to increase travel in the second quarter. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both recorded significant increases in corporate bookings during the first quarter, with Alaska stating business travel for the carrier has fully recovered to pre-Covid levels. 
Next, Chase now offers its cardholders something its rivals and online travel agencies don’t — the opportunity to book Southwest Airlines flights through its own travel platform, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. 
A Chase spokesperson said this week that cardholders are able to book Southwest flights on Chase Travel using points or cash. Cardholders who wanted to book Southwest flights in the past would’ve had to phone Chase Travel customer service. Schaal notes Southwest’s official website was the only place to book its flights for years, adding that online travel agencies that tried to offer Southwest flights received cease and desist letters. 
It’s uncertain though if other credit card companies will enable cardholders to book Southwest flights through their travel portals. 
Finally, Saudi Arabia is looking to attract 70 million international tourists annually by 2030. They can’t all stay in the luxury hotels that get so much attention, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder.
Fahd Hamidadin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, said that no more than 20% of visitors will be staying in four- or five-star hotels, adding that the real business of tourism is far from luxury. Indeed, an Accor executive said most people in the world are basically economy and mid-scale brand consumers. 
However, roughly 82% of the rooms in Saudi Arabia’s hotel pipeline are in the luxury and upscale categories, according to real estate consultancy firm Knight Frank.

Episode Notes
This year’s Summer Olympics are boosting short-term rental bookings in Paris, writes Reporter Elizabeth Casolo. 
Short-term rental bookings in Paris between July 26 through August 11 are up 46% compared to the prior two weeks, according to data analytics firm AirDNA. Bookings in Paris’ suburbs for the Olympics are up 112%.
However, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane said short-term rental rates during the Olympics are beginning to drop. Lane added AirDNA expects rates to continue falling because hosts will get worried their units aren’t booked.  
Next, Generation Z travelers are spending big on travel — especially hotels, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. 
Generator and Freehand hotel brands — both of which heavily target guests between the ages of 18 and 28 — saw revenue jump 15% in 2023 from the previous year. The two brands have seen bookings jump 40% this year in markets such as Miami, Madrid and New York. Alastair Thomann, CEO of the two brands, attributed that growth to spending by Gen Z travelers. 
O’Neill notes Gen Z is financially better off than young people in prior generations, with youth unemployment in the world’s seven most well-off countries the lowest since 1991. 
Next, Europe’s largest tour operator TUI is facing several challenges due to ongoing Boeing delivery delays, writes Travel Experiences Reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz. 
TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel said the company received fewer Boeing jets than expected, which drove TUI to extend leases on older aircraft. Ebel added that maintenance expenses associated with older aircrafts helped drive up costs for TUI. However, he said the tour operator expects to receive compensation from Boeing. 
Despite the challenges brought about by delivery delays, TUI still had a strong second quarter. The company generated just below $4 billion of revenue, a 16% increase from last year.

Episode Notes
Google is going deeper into the AI-powered trip planning world. The tech giant is adding itinerary-building capabilities on Gemini Advanced, its paid generative AI chatbot, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.
Google Vice President Sissie Hsiao said Gemini Advanced can create a personalized vacation plan using multiple sources of information. The trip-planning capability is coming to Gemini Advanced this summer. In addition, Google is also boosting trip-planning options for AI Overviews, the AI feature it released earlier this year. 
Next, Ariane Gorin took over as CEO of Expedia Group this week. She explained what she's looking to accomplish during an interview with Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Gorin said that organic growth is one of her priorities, having recently completed a tech migration that brought together several of its brands onto one platform. She added Expedia is focused on growing internationally, but will take a measured approach in doing so. 
Gorin added Expedia needs to make improvements to its vacation-rental brand Vrbo. Expedia recently trimmed its 2024 outlook growth mainly due to Vrbo’s slower-than-anticipated recovery. 
Finally, Qantas is pulling out of mainland China as it increasingly faces fierce competition from local carriers, writes Airlines Reporter Gordon Smith.
Australia’s flag carrier is citing “low demand” as the reason it will no longer fly from Sydney to Shanghai starting on July 28. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said flights between the two cities have often been half full since the company relaunched service following the pandemic. Meanwhile, Chinese carriers operate 102 flights weekly between mainland China and Australia’s three largest cities. 

Episode Notes
Travelers could have easy access to a robotic voice translator thanks to updates to ChatGPT. An OpenAI presentation explained how ChatGPT could serve as a human speech translator, the most significant travel-related feature in several updates unveiled on Monday, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. 
Dawes reports the upgraded translation capabilities are part of the new flagship GPT-4o model for ChatGPT. OpenAI said the new model is better at interacting with voice, photo and video than the previous model. The company said that a user, for example, could take a photo of a menu and ask ChatGPT to translate it. 
Next, several major airlines are suing the Biden administration over its new rule requiring carriers to disclose all fees associated with buying a ticket, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. 
Several carriers, including American, Delta, and United joined the suit along with Airlines for America, the trade group representing prominent U.S. airlines. The group said the new rule would create more confusion for consumers. Airlines for America added that it believed carriers already disclosed all fees to customers before ticket purchases. 
The Department of Transportation unveiled a rule in April requiring airlines disclose the prices of checked baggage, carry-ons and changing a reservation. 
Finally, European authorities have designated Booking.com’s parent company, Booking Holdings, as a “gatekeeper.” That means Booking.com will be subject to tighter regulation on the continent, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill 
O’Neill notes the European Commission’s move will impose stricter rules on Booking.com regarding content moderation and make it easier for consumers to switch to other providers. Booking Holdings now has six months to submit a report outlining how it will comply with certain obligations. 
Non-compliance could result in fines of up to 10% of Booking Holdings’ total worldwide revenue.
Producer/Presenter: Jose Marmolejos

Episode Notes
The U.S. government is investigating whether airlines have devalued frequent flyer miles, which would make booking reward tickets more difficult for customers, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra said at a hearing his agency has found some evidence of airlines and credit card companies devaluing points and miles. Chopra added the bureau found that airlines have sold inflated points to consumers while credit card issuers receive those same points at a lower price. 
The Department of Transportation announced last December it would investigate.  
Another issue is whether loyalty programs of the biggest U.S. airlines have grown so big that smaller carriers can’t compete. Buttigieg acknowledged that would represent a competition concern. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the agency had not reached any conclusions.
Next, Hyatt received a boost from a surge in business travel as well as its loyalty program and all-inclusive resorts, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. 
Hyatt executives said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call that they saw revenue from transient business travelers increase from last year. The company also registered a 22% increase in loyalty program members. In addition, O’Neill notes Hyatt’s 2021 move to buy Apple Leisure Group seems to be paying off as Hyatt saw bookings surge at its all-inclusive resorts. 
Finally, the CEO of vacation rental operator Vacasa has told employees the company would suffer another round of layoffs, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. 
CEO Rob Greyber sent a letter to staff stating Vacasa would experience a “significant restructuring” amid another difficult year for the vacation rental market. The letter didn’t say how many employees would be laid off. Schaal notes this is Vacasa’s fourth round of layoffs since Greyber took over as CEO in September 2022. 

Episode Notes
Airbnb is ramping up its plans for international expansion. The short-term rental giant is looking to grow significantly beyond its five biggest markets, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. 
CEO Brian Chesky said during its first-quarter earnings call that Airbnb is ready to step on the gas regarding international expansion. He cited Mexico, Brazil, China and Japan, among other countries, as markets the company is focusing on. Chesky said Airbnb recently updated its app in China, and the company is making similar improvements in Japan and South Korea.  
Next, Tripadvisor executives said the company doesn’t have any plans for a sale at the moment despite having previously explored the possibility, writes Executive Editor Schaal. 
Tripadvisor made the announcement during its recent first-quarter earnings call. The company had formed a special committee to review potential deals after controlling shareholder Liberty Tripadvisor revealed in February it was exploring a potential sale. Skift reported earlier that private equity firm Apollo Global Management was looking into the deal. 
Meanwhile, the company offered a weaker outlook for its major businesses, which it attributed to changes in Google’s travel search results pages. 
Finally, Saudi Arabia is set to unveil a new cruise brand Aroya this December that aims to serve a domestic market, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder. 
Aroya ships will include cigar lounges, jacuzzis, wellness facilities among other features. However, Corder reports the company has no plans to add features that would appeal to overseas travelers - including alcohol. Aroya spokesperson Turky Kari said the company is targeting Arabian markets, adding wherever its ships travel, Aroya would follow Saudi law.