Delta’s Wi-Fi Promise + Marriott Addresses Loyalty Concerns + Expedia’s Local Push

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

October 1, 2018

Editor's Note Our most successful Skift Global Forum so far closed out on Friday with high-concept ideas, a return to practicality, and talk of the human touch. The two-day event capped the busiest week in Skift's six-year history, starting Monday with our first Restaurants Forum, then a series of company announcements showcasing our expansion. Global Forum kept the ball rolling, as executives from across the travel landscape came together to field our questions. The result was a host of smart takeaways on travel trends, challenges, and new opportunities. Please enjoy the dialogue from Friday's sessions below. Be sure to check back with Skift for Forum follow-ups that will include a digital magazine, full video interviews, and more great analysis. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Skift Global Forum Delta CEO Declares Free In-Flight Wi-Fi Is Coming It can't happen soon enough. Marriott CEO to Unhappy Loyalty Members: 'Hang With Us' Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson knows that not everyone is thrilled with the merged Marriott-Starwood loyalty program. But at Skift Global Forum, he made the case for why they should be — and said he hopes they'll come around. Why the Cruise Industry Stands Out for Diversity in Its Leadership Cruising has embraced diversity in leadership and diversity in experiences for consumers in recent years. This bodes well for the industry as it continues a concerted effort to get more people to try cruising. Expedia Wants to Become More Locally Relevant Worldwide Rather than push Expedia Group to expand horizontally, CEO Mark Okerstrom has been focused in the past year on improving the company's execution in several key markets with its existing brands and loyal customers. The effort to consolidate gains makes intuitive sense. Four Seasons CEO to Suitors: Thanks, But No Thanks As a large independent hotel company with a distinctive luxury brand, Four Seasons is always going to be a takeover target but it sounds like it is more likely to be a buyer rather than a seller. Uber's Quest to Hit on Another Moonshot Product Uber needs to fix its culture and hit another moonshot beyond ridesharing. Nobody is quite sure where it will come from, but the result of investments in flying cars, autonomous cars, and a logistics network for businesses will be clear soon. Why Hermès Makes It Tough to Find Its Products Is there a brand out there with more cachet in the luxury world than Hermès? There's a reason for it. The company manages expansion and inventory in a prudent way. Other Top Stories United Airlines Moves the Goal Post for Earning Top-Tier Elite Status It just got 25 percent more expensive to earn top-tier elite status on United Airlines. How U.S. and UK Travelers Differ When on the Company Dime Business travelers from the U.S. are more likely to disregard travel policy and do whatever they want. UK travelers, though, are actually more adventurous when it comes to choosing where they want to stay on any particular trip. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels CEO Exits After Three Months A CEO leaving after such a short period suggests that all is not well at the hotel company. IATA Organizes the First Airline Industry Symposium Dedicated to Retail Sponsored by IATA Why do airlines want to be retailers? What's their transformation journey? 300 professionals will try to answer those questions at the first IATA Airline Industry Retailing Symposium! Learn more. Popular Now Hilton Wants to Change the Conversation About Direct Booking With New Ad Campaign Hotel industry to consumers: You should still stop clicking around, (obviously!), but you should also expect a lot more from us when you (1) book direct with us, (2) join our loyalty programs, and (3) stay in our hotels. Hyatt CEO Says Hotels Will Ban Hate Groups: 'We Need to Draw the Line' Hyatt and other hotels are increasingly in the business of opening their doors to all who need a place to sleep, as long as they pack a peaceful and inclusive attitude with them. Luxury Travel Advisors Aim to Put the Person Back in Personalization Luxury travel advisors can thrive with the help of tech, rather than fear it, according to Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, and Jack Ezon, founder of Embark. Their claim makes intuitive sense. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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When American Airlines rolled out 'basic economy' fares last year one of the less-publicized restrictions was that if a flight cancelled or was delayed they wouldn't put these passengers on another airline. Now at American regular economy fares are the ...

American Airlines Has a New Policy for Delays and Cancellations (Coach Passengers Won’t Like It) and more...  In This Issue...  American Airlines Has a New Policy for Delays and Cancellations (Coach Passengers Won’t Like It)  Really Great Cathay Pacific Business Class Award Space for the Whole Family  Basic Economy: 73.6% of Statistics are Made Up  The Most Important Thing to Know to Get Great Airfare and Amex’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill  What Happens When You Accidentally Tell US Immigration You’re a Terrorist?  More Recent Articles This email contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. American Airlines Has a New Policy for Delays and Cancellations (Coach Passengers Won’t Like It) When American Airlines rolled out 'basic economy' fares last year one of the less-publicized restrictions was that if a flight cancelled or was delayed they wouldn't put these passengers on another airline. Now at American regular economy fares are the new basic economy because coach passengers without elite status will no longer be placed on other airlines in the event of irregular operations. If American's operation has problems, you wait, just like if you were flying Spirit. Continue reading American Airlines Has a New Policy for Delays and Cancellations (Coach Passengers Won’t Like It)...          • Email to a friend • Really Great Cathay Pacific Business Class Award Space for the Whole Family I find that booking six months out gives great options for award redemption. Booking towards the 'end of the schedule' around 11 months out is even better if you want to redeem for four or more seats. Right now there's a great example of the theory from several of Cathay Pacific's U.S. gateways. Searching for two passengers is much easier of course but the ability to redeem a top flight business class product for four or more passengers is worth noting when availability is this good. Continue reading Really Great Cathay Pacific Business Class Award Space for the Whole Family...          • Email to a friend • Basic Economy: 73.6% of Statistics are Made Up Everyone believes basic economy works because airline executives keep repeating that it's true. It was supposed to be a billion dollar idea and yet once implemented the revenue benefits don't clearly materialize in the financials. We keep hearing things like 50% of customers buy up to a higher fare, which strikes me as like "73.6% of all statistics are made up." Continue reading Basic Economy: 73.6% of Statistics are Made Up...          • Email to a friend • The Most Important Thing to Know to Get Great Airfare and Amex’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips. Continue reading The Most Important Thing to Know to Get Great Airfare and Amex’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill...          • Email to a friend • What Happens When You Accidentally Tell US Immigration You’re a Terrorist? The US have a 'visa waiver' process which is more or less still a visa. Eligible passengers fill out an ESTA, Electronic System for Travel Authorization, to seek permission to travel. That form has a question, "Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?" Continue reading What Happens When You Accidentally Tell US Immigration You’re a Terrorist?...          • Email to a friend • More Recent Articles Cheating Woman Calls Uber to Go to Hotel – and the Uber Driver Turns Out to Be Her Husband Layoffs This Week at American Airlines Revealed: Here Are the New American Airlines Uniforms Rolling Out in 2020 A Flight Attendant on United's Plan to Finally Merge Continental Crew and an Absurd United Claim… Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.     Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC • 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123 • Sudbury, MA 01776, USA