Travel

Skift Take Sunil Suresh is bullish about the loyalty program’s prospects of becoming a value creator for the airline, with significant growth forecast over the next three years. Ajay Awtaney, Skift How do you turn a net negative into a positive? That’s the challenge faced by Air India’s Chief Marketing Officer, Sunil Suresh.  He is

Skift Take Due to the end of CARES Act restrictions on executive pay, United CEO Scott Kirby’s total compensation nearly doubled in 2023. Meghna Maharishi United Airlines’ top executive saw his salary nearly double in 2023.  United CEO Scott Kirby, who is routinely one of the most highly paid airline executives in the U.S., made

Skift Take For the latest in our Leaders of Travel: Skift C-Suite Series, we sit down with Marco Ciomperlik, Chief Airline Officer at the TUI Group to gather his insights on the year ahead. Gordon Smith The TUI Group is a tourism powerhouse. Arguably best known for its family-friendly vacations, the company’s operation spans hotels,

Skift Take A high-caliber management team is the key to any great company. But bringing this group back together again doesn’t guarantee success. Investors will ask, “What have you done for me lately?” Dennis Schaal Trivago has brought back a key executive from its December 2016 IPO – there are now four leaders from the

Skift Take While Raffles is best-known for its classical hotels, the brand is fast-developing in the modern Middle East. Josh Corder Luxury hospitality brand Raffles has a new operations vice president for the Middle East. Ayman Gharib, who was earlier the managing director of the brand’s flagship hotel in Dubai, moves up to the role.

Skift Take Advertising in travel metasearch used to be near the top of the list for online travel agencies and hotels. But then along came Google Hotels, YouTube, and TikTok, as well as hotel and online travel agency loyalty programs to deflate the value proposition. Dennis Schaal Travel metasearch companies used to be among the

Skift Take Having diversified into hotels and insurance, EaseMyTrip now ventures into the B2B travel market with its latest investment. Peden Doma Bhutia Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip.com on Monday confirmed an investment in business-to-business (B2B) travel portal ETrav Tech. The deal, worth INR 330 million ($4 million), sees EaseMyTrip secure a 4.94% stake in

Skift Take Not everyone can afford to stay at the Wynn. Josh Corder Demand for hotel stays will be greater than supply in Ras Al Khaimah, according to Tatiana Veller, managing director of Stirling Hospitality Advisors, a subsidiary of state-owned RAK Hospitality Holding. She said interest in the emirate has skyrocketed since the announcement in

Ritesh Agarwal launched Oyo with the ambition of becoming the world’s largest hotel chain. After experiencing some pandemic-era struggles, Oyo has seen the hotel business rebound strongly. Its vacation rental subsidiary in Europe has also done well. Agarwal discussed a wide variety of subjects with Skift CEO and founder Rafat Ali during the recent Skift

Skift Take We’re not entirely sure if this is Dhoni’s grand finale in the Indian Premier League cricket scene, but one thing’s clear — Captain Cool is making his debut innings with Cleartrip! Peden Doma Bhutia Indian online travel company Cleartrip has signed former captain of the Indian cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as its

Skift Take There’s a lot of money going into the development of flying taxis. The one featured this week has its eyes set on the Middle East and Asia. Justin Dawes Flying taxis raised hundreds of millions of dollars last year, and they’re continuing to raise money in 2024. Some are further along in development

Skift Take The compensation could give the struggling Spirit a significant boost to its liquidity. Meghna Maharishi Spirit Airlines is expecting to receive anywhere from $150 million to $200 million in compensation for grounding some of its planes due to issues with Pratt & Whitney engines.  The carrier said in a regulatory filing on Friday

Skift Take Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves sent an internal memo to staff late Thursday. Josh Corder Etihad Airways chief operating officer Mohammed Al Bulooki has stepped down from his role, confirms an internal document seen by Skift. The internal memo was signed by Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves and shared with staff Thursday evening. John Wright

Skift Take Airbnb’s new cancellation policy will cover hurricanes — if they trigger government travel bans. But if there is a flu warning in the U.S., a malaria emergency in Thailand, or a Covid-19 outbreak, these situations would not be covered. Dennis Schaal Airbnb will be introducing a new cancellation policy on June 6 for

Skift Take Michael O’Leary says Southwest’s all-inclusive fares are a sign that the airline has lost its ‘passion’ for low-cost travel. Gordon Smith Has Southwest Airlines lost its way? One of its biggest long-time advocates seems to think so. Speaking to Skift, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary claimed that Southwest’s generous baggage allowance, onboard perks, and

Skift Take The U.S. government is putting more financial resources toward cutting its excessive visa wait times. Let’s hope it gets the job done. Dawit Habtemariam Congress has set aside $50 million for the U.S. State Department to help “reduce passport backlogs and reduce visa wait times” in a bill signed into law by U.S.

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at Hilton’s ascent, Maui’s tourism pitch, and Breeze’s new loyalty program. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, March 27. 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 Hilton has built the largest pipeline of

Skift Take Superyachts run by the Four Seasons brand are creating a buzzy new offering. Competitors include Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton and Accor’s Orient Express. Sean O’Neill Four Seasons revealed on Tuesday the first itineraries for its new brand, Four Seasons Yachts. The hospitality company also shared the first renderings of its maiden vessel, which it has