Skift Daily Briefing

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Everything you need to know about the business of travel today. Each episode covers new travel stories from Skift's editorial team. Listen to the latest developments at hotels, airlines, destinations, online booking sites, and more. Published Tuesday through Friday by 5am ET. For ongoing coverage, please visit Skift.com/news.

2 days ago

United's CEO Just Buried JetBlue in Public — and He's Not Done

United's CEO slams merger speculation and delivers a brutal public assessment of JetBlue's finances, the U.S. government spent eight years producing a one-page PDF about passenger rights, and Expedia just bet big on one of YouTube's biggest streamers to win over Gen Z. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Scott Kirby is done buying growth and betting that weaker airlines will simply hand United market share for free, why America's new passenger rights rule is a masterclass in doing the bare minimum while Europe has been paying travelers cash for delays since 2004, and why Expedia's IShowSpeed partnership signals that creator marketing has officially moved from experiment to core strategy across the travel industry. Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG United CEO Slams 'Idiotic' Theory He Used American Bid as Cover for Smaller Deal It Took Eight Years to Create a One-Page PDF for the U.S. Airline Industry Expedia x IShowSpeed: Why Brands Are Doubling Down on Creators Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

5 min
3 days ago

Hotels Spent 10 Years Fighting OTAs — Then AI Showed Up and Changed Everything

Hotels and OTAs have been battling over direct bookings for a decade — here's who's actually winning, Marriott just struck a deal that signals hotels are serious about selling more than just rooms, and two major hotel tech companies are joining forces to fix the data problem standing in the way of AI. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why hotels won the economics of the OTA war but may be about to lose their front doors to AI entirely, how Marriott's ResortPass deal reflects a growing push to turn empty pool chairs and spa slots into high-margin revenue, and why the Mews and SiteMinder integration is the unglamorous foundation hotels need before AI can actually take over. Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG Direct Booking Tug-of-War: Hotels' Long Bid to Take Back Power Marriott Signs ResortPass Deal. Why Hotels Are Pushing to Sell More Than Rooms. Mews and SiteMinder to Put Hotel Distribution, Operations Under One Roof — Exclusive Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

5 min
4 days ago

Ryanair Just Made Every Other Airline Look Bad

The U.S. scales back a social media vetting proposal that was scaring off international visitors, Dubai's $400 million in hotel relief is welcome but isn't solving the real problem, and Ryanair just paid off every last dollar of its debt at exactly the right moment. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the U.S. walking back its ESTA social media requirements helps but may not undo the damage already done to America's image as a welcoming destination, why Dubai's hotel operators say fee exemptions don't fix a crisis caused by empty planes, and why Ryanair's debt-free balance sheet puts it in the strongest competitive position in its history just as fuel costs are hammering rivals. Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG U.S. Plans to Scale Back on Collecting All Travelers' Social Media Dubai's $400M in Tourism Aid Buys Time. Operators See Empty Rooms. Ryanair Just Cleared Its Debt: Where Do Other Major Airlines Stand? Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

5 min
22 May

Gulf Travelers Are Searching but Not Booking, and Brand USA Wants Canadians Back

Gulf travelers are flooding search engines but holding off on bookings as the Iran war reshapes travel demand, Brand USA launches a charm offensive to win back Canadian visitors, and Expedia reveals the next big piece of its AI roadmap for B2B partners. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the Gulf's search-to-booking gap signals a demand delay rather than a demand collapse, how Brand USA is rebuilding its Canadian strategy from scratch on a dramatically reduced budget, and why Expedia's new MCP server is the unglamorous infrastructure play that could quietly reshape how AI books travel. Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG Gulf Travelers Are Searching, Not Booking: How the Iran War Is Reshaping Travel Demand Brand USA Plans New Campaign To Win Back Canadian Travelers Expedia to Launch Agentic AI Tools for B2B Partners Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

4 min
21 May

Expedia Is Rethinking AI, and Google Is Coming for Hotel Bookings

Expedia makes its second acquisition of 2026 and does a reset on its AI strategy, Google officially names hotel booking as the next frontier for agentic shopping, and private equity has discovered the events industry — and the people inside it aren't sure how to feel about it. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Expedia's CarTrawler deal and AI pivot reveal a company quietly becoming a B2B infrastructure powerhouse, why Google's latest announcements could disrupt the entire hotel discovery and booking funnel overnight, and what a room full of events industry CEOs is making of the private equity money flowing their way. This episode is presented by Lodgify! Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG Expedia To Acquire CarTrawler in Second B2B Deal of 2026 Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin on What Companies Get Wrong About AI Chatbots Google Names Hotels as Next Vertical for Agentic ShoppingPrivate Equity Has Discovered the Events Industry — Now What? Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

6 min
20 May

NYC Hotel Workers Land a Historic Deal, and It's Going to Cost You

New York City hotel workers secure a landmark eight-year labor deal, Ryanair's CEO ties his fuel outlook directly to Trump's midterm ambitions, and Cathay Pacific removes the most photographed amenity in airport lounges — and the reason why says a lot about where luxury travel is heading. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why NYC's groundbreaking housekeeper pay deal is about to become the new benchmark for hotel labor negotiations nationwide, how Ryanair's Michael O'Leary is betting Trump will resolve the Iran conflict before elevated fuel prices cost him the midterms, and why Cathay Pacific's decision to swap its iconic cabanas for massage booths reflects a fundamental shift in what luxury travelers actually want. This episode is presented by Lodgify! Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG NYC Hotel Housekeepers' Pay to Hit $61 an Hour Ryanair CEO Ties Fuel Outlook to Trump's Midterm Math Cathay Pacific Removed Its First Class Lounge Cabanas. That Tells You Where Luxury Travel Is Heading. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

5 min
19 May

Americans Are Desperate to Travel, but Not Everyone Can Afford To

Americans are hungry for summer travel despite rising costs, Brand USA launches a fact-checking platform to win back international visitors, and new Skift Research says most travel brands don't just have one Gen Z problem... they have two. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why this summer's travel demand is strong but deeply uneven across income levels, how Brand USA's new "Get Facts. Get Going." platform is tackling misinformation keeping international travelers away from the U.S., and why the travel brands focused only on reaching Gen Z are missing the harder and more expensive problem. This episode is presented by Lodgify! Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG 'Desperate' to Travel, but Rising Costs Point to 'Uneven' Summer Brand USA Launches Fact-Checking Platform to Win Back International Travelers Travel Brands Think They Have a Gen Z Problem. Most Have Two. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

6 min
15 May

Travel Inflation Is Surging Faster Than the Economy

Travel prices climb at twice the rate of inflation, the U.S. eases visa rules for World Cup fans, and Abu Dhabi reveals the future home of its massive Sphere venue. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why rising fuel costs are pushing travel prices sharply higher across flights, hotels, and transportation, how the U.S. is trying to remove barriers for international World Cup visitors, and why Abu Dhabi’s new Sphere project is part of a much bigger entertainment and tourism strategy. This episode is presented by Lodgify! Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IGTravel Cost Gains Outpace Inflation RateU.S. Waives $15,000 Visa Bond for World Cup Ticket HoldersAbu Dhabi’s Sphere Has a Home on Yas Island Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

4 min

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Trailer

New from Skift: Executive Conversations Shaping the Travel Industry

We’re sharing a preview of a new podcast from Skift called Skift Take Sessions. Skift Take Sessions is a weekly, journalist-led podcast built from the most important conversations shaping the global travel industry. Each episode features candid interviews with CEOs and senior leaders across airlines, hotels, and travel platforms, recorded live at Skift events and expanded with context around why the conversation matters now and what we learned. Hosted by Wil Slickers, the show brings listeners inside executive-level thinking from leaders at companies like Hilton, Expedia Group, Airbnb, JetBlue, and more. New episodes drop every week. Listen and follow Skift Take Sessions: Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/skift-take-sessions/id1871511773⁠⁠ Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4oKApv7z0I65VpySjh9rqP?si=2e8f1e3e83e8459d⁠⁠ Skift.com: ⁠⁠https://skift.com/skift-travel-podcasts/

26 Jan

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2 min

Everything you need to know about the business of travel today. Each episode covers new travel stories from Skift's editorial team. Listen to the latest developments at hotels, airlines, destinations, online booking sites, and more. Published Tuesday through Friday by 5am ET. For ongoing coverage, please visit Skift.com/news.