Travel

Skift Take Venice is likely the first city to charge a fee to access its central area. Using entry fees, Venice is testing a system to manage tourist flows. Dawit Habtemariam Day tourists are now charged an entry toll whenever they set foot in Venice’s historic center during peak periods. The city began charging day

Skift Take American is the latest airline to alter its schedule as delivery delays at Boeing mount. Meghna Maharishi American Airlines said Friday it would reduce some of its international routes during the second half of the year and early into 2025 because of ongoing Boeing 787 Dreamliner delays.  The carrier is the latest to

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at Indigo’s new purchase, Wyndham’s new strategy, and Royal Caribbean’s new audience. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, April 26. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts Episode Notes India’s largest airline IndiGo has taken

Skift Take The underwriting will be done by Parafin, a company backed by early investors of Robinhood. Srividya Kalyanaraman Toronto-based Hostaway, which sells property-management software, announced it will offer business loans to its customers. Hostaway didn’t share details about how the financial arrangement works but said that the industry standard is to take a commission

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at how hotel listings on Google compete for bookings, new junk fee rules for airlines, and new sites for Hyatt loyalty program members. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, April 25. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple

Skift Take After overwhelmingly rejecting a previous contract in December, this one will make Southwest flight attendants some of the most highly paid in the industry. Meghna Maharishi Southwest flight attendants ratified a new four-year contract that will offer them a 22.3% raise, the Transport Workers Union announced Wednesday.  The contract also offers flight attendants

Skift Take The new rules would require airlines to disclose the fees of certain service upfront and streamline the process for providing passengers with refunds. Meghna Maharishi The Biden Administration released a set of rules on Wednesday that would require airlines to confront “junk fees.” “Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing

Skift Take Who’s in and who’s out of American Airlines’ new preferred agency program to date? The deadline extension seems to indicate their are some hiccups along the way. Dennis Schaal American Airlines was poised to stop enabling customers of certain travel agencies to earn loyalty points on the airline’s bookings starting May 1, but

Skift Take Destinations value Indian travelers, but lengthy visa processing times lasting months act as significant deterrents. The adoption of these new regulations by European authorities reflects a proactive effort to tackle these concerns, aiming to boost tourism flow. Peden Doma Bhutia The European Commission has introduced a new visa “cascade” regime for Indian nationals

Skift Take The survey encapsulates a seeming dilemma for the travel industry. What proportion of their resources should they pour into promoting sustainable travel choices when a wide swath of travelers aren’t focused on the issue. Dennis Schaal For more than a decade, travel companies have been saying sustainability would gain in importance – Tripadvisor

Skift Take Will AI replace the Tim Williams (Trivago Guy) and William Shatner (the Priceline Negotiator) types? Could be. Trivago, meanwhile, is already testing a second AI-infused commercial. Dennis Schaal Tim Williams, the Texas-born actor who played the Trivago Guy didn’t know he’d been replaced until he saw a new Trivago commercial last December. There

Skift Take Thousands of fed-up residents took to the streets of Tenerife. Activists want a new tourism model that puts locals first. But businesses seek sustained growth from a tourism sector that drives about a third of the local economy. Sean O’Neill Thousands took part in a Saturday protest against tourism growth in Tenerife, the

Achieving Airbnb superhost status usually means more money in your pocket, and it comes with several perks. But some hosts are critical about the program’s current status on Airbnb.  The main complaint: That Guest Favorites have overshadowed superhosts. Guest Favorites highlight properties most liked and booked by guests and superhost status highlights hosts who go above

Skift Take The Emirates President’s honest assessment of the situation after Tuesday’s record rainfall in Dubai indicates that the airline is determined to be better prepared for similar events in the future. Peden Doma Bhutia Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates has had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more in the 3 days following

Skift Take Nevada wants people to know that it has more than casinos and entertainment attractions like The Sphere. The state is investing in tourism that supports its local communities outside of Las Vegas. Jesse Chase-Lubitz Nevada has set its sights on a different kind of tourism. Rather than tout the famous casinos of Las

Skift Take The eclipse brought historic tourism revenue to hotels. But not all local businesses felt the same impact. Dawit Habtemariam Hotels in cities in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8 saw record revenue increases, according to a new analysis published by CoStar’s STR. The night before the eclipse, U.S. hotel

Skift Take Paul Griffiths says he’s never seen anything like it as his airport cancels hundreds of flights a day. Josh Corder Over 1,200 flights have been canceled and 40 diverted in Dubai since an immense flash flood ground the city to a halt on Tuesday. It’s been three days since the storm and Dubai

Skift Take Despite taking a hit from the Max 9 grounding, Alaska Airlines saw an uptick in travel demand, fueled by a full return of business travel. Meghna Maharishi Even as the grounding of the Max 9 prompted Alaska Airlines to cancel thousands of flights in January, the carrier came out relatively unscathed in the