Traveling Blog: Passenger-Proof Planes + Travel Shareholders Want Lobbying Transparency + Accor Can't Stop Buying

May 15, 2018

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Editor's Note

Four states go to the polls today to vote in primaries that will have telling implications for the mid-term elections in the fall. Politics usually isn't a priority coverage area for us here at Skift, but we are happy to be out front on a story on this primary day. I am sure you will read about this theme again and again in the months ahead. Business Travel Editor Andrew Sheivachman reports on shareholders at some travel companies this proxy season demanding that there be greater transparency of political giving by the companies. It's all part of a renewed activism we have seen since Donald Trump became president.

Sheivachman covered much of the travel industry's political giving during the election in 2016, and he's updated the numbers in his piece today. The travel industry has a lot at stake in what transpires in Washington, D.C. As our increasingly divided country ramps up for another election, we're glad Skift could lead the way on this story today.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

Four Reasons Why Travel Tech Providers Should Invest in Premium Flight Data Solutions

Are you an educator who wants to attend Skift Global Forum this September for an outrageously discounted rate? Starting today, we're offering a limited quantity of educator tickets. Only 25 are available, so act quickly to secure your spot!

The Business of Passenger-Proofing Seats and Every Other Square Inch Inside a Plane

Airline passengers abuse nearly everything on an airplane. Sometimes, they do it because they're jet-lagged or drunk. Sometimes, they're just absent-minded. And on occasion, manufacturers say, customers probably abuse interiors for sport. But the good news: Everything is tested to withstand harsh treatment from passengers.

Shareholders Push Travel Companies to Disclose Political Giving As Mid-Terms Loom

Travel isn't as big a political player as some other industries, but major players wield significant influence over political candidates and the issues surrounding airports and hotels. More transparency is a good thing, particularly for shareholders who may fear a decline in stock value due to political positioning based on the whims of a company's CEO.

Supreme Court Decision on Sports Betting Will Hurt Vegas, Right? You'll Be Surprised

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas - except now sports betting, as other states look to swoop in and take their share of the multi-billion market. But guess what? Vegas will survive.

AccorHotels to Buy Chile's Atton Hoteles

Is there anything out there AccorHotels won't buy at this point?

Travel Industry Study Tour Is Going Behind the Scenes in Silicon Valley

Sponsored by Silicon Valley Unlocked

Skift Tech Forum is partnering with Silicon Valley Unlocked to give travel industry innovators an inside look at how the most successful companies in tech operate.

Hostelworld Raids Expedia for New CEO

Although this looks like a smooth change at the top, we'll have to keep an eye on whether the new CEO deviates from the path the company has set itself on in recent years.

Priceline Deal Means Closer Ties to Points International

Priceline showed up with a new brand and better partner access last week, which should please those who use the Points.com network.

Tune in for a candid conversation about the strategy behind AccorHotels' many acquisitions, why the company wants to be part of consumers' everyday lives, and what the CEO has learned from spending hundreds of millions of dollars on startups.

U.S. and United Arab Emirates Reach Deal to Solve Open Skies Spat

The big three Gulf carriers are still very important, but because of a variety of reasons, they're no longer as scary as they were a few years ago. Still, this is good news for U.S. airlines.

Airlines to Test Consumer Payments That Bypass Credit Cards for Direct Sales

Care to buy a plane ticket without needing a credit card? Soon a few airlines will test enabling air travelers to pay for their tickets by taking payments directly from consumer accounts. Three cheers for testing innovations.

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