Midterm Winners and Losers + Eye on Airline Earnings + Amadeus Tech Bet

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

November 8, 2018

Editor's Note Another benefit from Skift's recent purchase of Airline Weekly is the newsletter's twice-monthly podcast, The Airline Weekly Lounge. Give it a listen. It's a chance for you to see why we are so excited to have Airline Weekly in our family. The podcast below digs into the airlines' third quarter earnings with great insights from newsletter co-founders Seth Kaplan and Jason Cottrell. Hopefully, it's a big enough tease that you'll sign up for an Airline Weekly subscription. Keep an eye out as we look to keep elevating our game in aviation. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor New Skift Insights Deck: The Anatomy of the Upsell — Making the Most of Travel Transaction Moments Sponsored by Rokt E-Commerce is a critical driver of travel industry business success. But despite all the time spent optimizing for online sales, companies aren't paying nearly enough attention to a critical piece of the puzzle: their booking confirmation page. Our new insights deck examines how travel brands can make better use of this under-utilized e-commerce asset. Download now Top Stories Committee Leadership Changes in Divided Congress Will Be Mixed Bag for Travel Industry The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, controlled by opposing parties, will be at loggerheads over many issues related to both the travel industry and travelers. However, there will be plenty of wiggle room, if not on airplanes with reduced passenger legroom, then in the halls of Congress, where some legislation will undoubtedly get done. San Francisco Looks to Solve No. 1 Tourists' Complaint by Hiring the Homeless Homelessness is a reality that has been exacerbated by various economic and public health crises. San Francisco is one destination that thinks it can find a solution. Virgin Voyages Says Farewell to Cruise Cliche: The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Virgin Voyages is intent on setting itself apart, and its food choices do stand out: no buffet, no main dining room, no restaurants with an extra charge. Execution will be key. Airline Weekly Podcast: Third Quarter Struggles, Turnarounds and a Missed Opportunity With fuel costs rising 37 percent in the U.S. airline sector, you might expect airline earnings to be declining — and they certainly did in the third quarter. But exceptionally strong demand enabled some U.S. airlines to make their story more about revenue than costs. Here's a look at the winners and losers during the peak quarter for U.S. airlines. TripAdvisor's Experiences and Restaurants Businesses Outpace Vacation Rentals TripAdvisor faces a quandary: It needs to have an alternative accommodations business to round out its hotel offerings, but rentals revenue declined and slowed the otherwise-positive trajectory of its non-hotels segment. While TripAdvisor is a market leader in experiences and restaurants, its rentals business is muddying up the works. Belmond Sees Slight Takeover Bounce in Third Quarter Now it's just a wait-and-see approach to see who will snap up Belmond's treasure trove of luxury assets. Here's Why Hyundai Is Investing Another $250 Million in Ridehailing Service Grab Grab is the go-to for motor companies wanting a piece of Southeast Asia's future mobility market, as Hyundai's additional tenfold investment shows. Amadeus Revs Up Spending for Product Development Amadeus is spending more heavily on R&D than its competitors, which it is betting augurs well for its future. Why Airlines Don't Know How Much Food and Drink They Need on Flights Will data science change how airlines stock food and drink carts? It could happen, and EasyJet is leading the way. Costs Rise With Expectations for the Event Sector Planners expect 2019 to be another tough year, with more commission cuts and increased expenses on the horizon. Succeeding will require doing more with less and getting creative about crafting killer events with a smaller bankroll. Skift Table Slice Wants TripAdvisor to Help It Compete With Pizza Delivery Rivals It's interesting that a pizza delivery company doesn't view the likes of Grubhub or OpenTable as its main competitors. But the company is banking on TripAdvisor to bring even more traffic and sales to its list of 10,000 or so clients. Papa John's Failures Can Be Measured in the Double Digits It's a long way back for the pizza chain, which should first focus on making its former CEO go away before winning back customer approval. New on the Menu: Forget Turkey, It's McRib Time of Year (Again) We've purposefully stayed away from the season of pumpkin spice items in order to focus on what matters: turkey-themed offerings and the ubiquitous/elusive McRib. Popular Now Wi-Fi Provider Gogo Is Hurt By American Airlines' Tough Tactics Will Gogo make it as a stand-alone company? It still does not look promising. It's odd because customers want in-flight Wi-Fi. But so far Gogo hasn't figured out how to do it and make a profit. Marriott CEO: Don't Worry About Our Soft Third Quarter Marriott may have had a relatively challenging third quarter, but it's not stopping the company from continuing to work on its Starwood integration — or scope out other companies to buy, even if the global economy seems uncertain. Ethiopia's Nascent Luxury Tourism Market Starts to Take Hold The question is not whether hoteliers and operators should invest in Ethiopia, but what is best for Ethiopia in balancing these new demands while protecting its people and its profound history and cultures. 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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