Latest news with #DennisSchaal
Skift
11-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb Gets Flexible, Delta Revises Forecast, Marriott Goes Net-Zero
To finish the week, we look at Airbnb's new guest-friendly policies, Delta's sunnier outlook, and Marriott's net-zero effort. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, July 11. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Airbnb is introducing a series of guest-friendly cancellation policies on October 1 that may get pushback from some hosts, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Airbnb is migrating hosts that have so-called Strict cancellation policies to Firm policies, which are more flexible for guests. Under the Strict policy, guests could only cancel within 48 hours after a booking to receive a full refund. The new Firm policies enable guests to cancel and get full refunds until 30 days before check-in. In addition, for stays of fewer than 28 nights, guests will have a 24-hour cancellation grace period – provided the stay is confirmed at least seven days before check-in. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Delta Air Lines said Thursday it's going back to giving an outlook for 2025 – its new forecast is lower than it was in January, but higher than feared, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. CEO Ed Bastian said during a call with analysts that the company's core customer is in good financial shape, even as the airline sees weakness in demand from its most price-sensitive passengers in the main cabin. Premium revenues outpaced main cabin revenues during the quarter, growing 5% compared to last year. Delta had pulled its full-year outlook in April due to the growing economic uncertainty from the Trump administration's tariff policy. Delta said its loyalty revenue was up 8%, which the carrier attributed to co-branded card spending and card acquisitions. Finally, Marriott has broken ground on the first net-zero emissions hotel under its brand. But Climate Reporter Darin Graham writes the loss of federal tax credits for renewable energy sources will make reaching net-zero goals challenging for hotel companies. The 115-room Sugar House Hotel in Winooski, Vermont is scheduled to open in 2026 and will rely entirely on electricity. Doug Nedde, a developer whose company owns the hotel, said there are no fossil fuels in the building at all. Marriott aims to cut its emissions to nearly zero by 2050. However, Nedde said the Trump administration's sweeping new budget law will dismantle many of the tax incentives that have made clean energy projects possible. Nedde added the Sugar House Hotel would not have been built without assistance from the federal government.
Skift
03-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb's Pay-Later Bet, Airline Cyberattacks and a $12.5B Air Traffic Overhaul
On today's pod we look at Airbnb's book now, pay later options; possible new funding for U.S. air traffic control, and cyber attacks on airline systems. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Thursday, July 3. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Airbnb is testing a new feature — Reserve Now, Pay Later — that enables some guests in the U.S. and Canada to make a reservation without paying anything at the time of booking, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Prior to these tests, Airbnb guests have either paid the total price at the time of booking or some properties have allowed a partial payment up-front. Airbnb is testing the feature because affordability is a top priority for guests. The host's experience does not change under the new feature because in the event of a non-payment or cancellation, hosts would receive any payout that their cancellation policy calls for. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday advanced a budget bill that includes $12.5 billion in funding for air traffic control upgrades, with allocations for radar system replacements, runway safety technologies, and the continued modernization of the FAA's infrastructure. Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi reports that the bill earmarks $1 billion to support consolidation efforts of terminal radar approach control facilities, also known as TRACONs. Another $100 million is set aside for consolidating air route traffic control facilities. The provisions are also part of the Trump administration's calls for a complete overhaul of the air traffic control system. The bill will go back to the House for approval of the amended version. Finally, multiple airlines have reported experiencing cyber attacks on their IT systems ahead of the busy Fourth of July travel weekend in the U.S., writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Hawaiian Airlines and Canadian carrier WestJet have confirmed that they both suffered cyber attacks in the past week. Australia's flag carrier Qantas said on Tuesday it experienced a cyber attack that breached a third-party customer service platform although the company stated the breach has since been contained. The FBI recently said that a hacking group called Scattered Spider had started targeting the airline sector. An executive at a cybersecurity firm said that Scattered Spider tends to focus on one sector at a time for a few weeks.
Skift
20-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Fairmont's New Marketing, Airbnb's Experience Challenge and AirAsia Move's Rebrand
On today's pod we look closer at the market for Airbnb's new product, Fairmont's new marketing campaign, and AirAsia's move for its Move app. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Tuesday, May 20. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Despite having millions of loyal users, Airbnb will face several challenges in its quest to build a $1 billion experiences business in the next few years, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Thomas Reiner, a partner at Altimeter Capital, notes that the tours and activities sector just isn't growing that quickly. Reiner estimated that the total addressable market for the sector would grow to $400 billion by 2030. He added that travelers don't usually book experiences at the same time they book a stay, meaning Airbnb would have to re-engage travelers when they are ready to schedule an activity. Schaal adds that Airbnb may find it difficult to meet its stated goal of selling experiences and services to both travelers and locals. Many travel businesses have struggled with that dual target audience approach. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has launched its first global brand campaign since 2021, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. Fairmont has unveiled a series of bookable offerings under the banner 'Special Happens…,' which include yoga by a waterfall and chocolate-making workshops. Raffles & Fairmont CEO Omer Acar said the campaign's goal is to focus on moments that feel personal, not grand. In addition, Fairmont has rolled out an ad campaign called 'Make Special Happen' that features guests preparing for a grand celebration. Finally, AirAsia Move is preparing to entirely phase out the 'AirAsia' name from its branding over the next two years, writes Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia. Bhutia notes the company is now looking to separate the airline from the app that once bore the carrier's name. Move has been known as the digital arm of AirAsia, one of Southeast Asia's largest low-cost airlines. Move CEO Nadia Omer said at the recent Skift Asia Forum that the vision is to become the go-to platform for travel within Southeast Asia and for inbound travelers looking to explore the region.
