Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

The Skift Business Traveler Newsletter is our weekly newsletter delivering news-you-can-use that will help you be a smarter business traveler.

January 9, 2017

Sign Up   Advertise

New Call-to-action New Call-to-action FORWARD New Call-to-action

Skift Launches Gateway Series: Stories From Correspondents Embedded Around the World

Skift is getting even more local and global in our reporting with our new Gateway series, which includes news stories, insights, and analysis from our correspondents embedded around the world. Learn more.

What to Know Now

As if weather problems in California and the American Southwest, plus disruptions because of the murders at Fort Lauderdale International Airport weren’t enough, air travelers this week have another fiasco to deal with: Cabin crew at British Airways plan to strike on Tuesday, potentially affecting travel on the London-based carrier.

Unlike past recent strikes at other EU carriers, however, the upcoming action may not be as disruptive to travelers. According to Skift’s Brian Sumers, only 20 percent of the current cabin crew are taking part in the strike and the majority of the employees are younger staff working on domestic aircraft. Travelers on long-haul flights may thus be less affected by the action.

Even so, it may be worth checking on your flight status as the week gets started — British is currently working on ironing out flight logistics this week (and is apparently tweeting aggressively).

Social Quote of the Day

This calculated and heartless industrial action by Unite is completely unnecessary. We are determined that it will fail.

@British_Airways

Airlines

Rising Fuel Costs Spell Trouble for the U.S. Airline Industry: After a comfortable two-year spell of cheap fuel and no major crises to dampen travel demand, U.S. airlines are in for what looks to be a more turbulent 2017. Buckle up. Read more at Skift

British Airways’ Parent IAG Plans New Low-Cost, Long-Haul Flights from Barcelona: In a bid to thwart discounter Norwegian Air, International Airlines Group, parent of British Airways and three other European airlines, plans to launch its own long-haul, low-cost flights from Barcelona starting in June. Read more at Skift

The British Airways Cabin Crew Strike, Explained: Roughly 15 percent of British Airways’ cabin crew plan to strike for 48 hours starting Tuesday, a move likely to disrupt travel plans for many of the airline’s customers. Read more at Skift

Airports

Multiple People Killed in Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting: A shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has killed five people and injured eight more, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. One person is in custody. Read more at Skift

New York’s Governor Proposes $10 Billion Plan to (Finally) Fix JFK Airport: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a $10 billion renovation of John F. Kennedy International Airport and surrounding roadways on Wednesday, his latest salvo in a roughly $100 billion push statewide to bring decaying infrastructure into the modern era. Read more at Skift

Guns in Checked Luggage Become an Issue After Murder of 5 People at Fort Lauderdale Airport: The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida airport used a gun that he had stored in his checked luggage, raising questions about airport security and whether safety officials need to change the current rules. Read more at Skift

Tech

Mastercard Could Share Your Height and Weight With Airlines, But Will It? What if an airline knew how much passengers weighed before assigning them a seat? Could that make the travel experience more comfortable for all travelers? Read more at Skift

Where Sustainable Travel Is Headed in 2017: Sustainable tourism — bringing global awareness to travel and putting it into action — is a top priority for the United Nations this year. The organization has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Read more at The New York Times

Carnival Corp. Wants Wearable Tech to Elevate the Cruise Experience: The Walt Disney Co. changed the vacation game with its MagicBand technology that gave visitors control over multiple parts of their trip with one wristband. Taking a page from that playbook — as well as a key architect of the Disney project — Carnival Corp. on Thursday plans to unveil its own wearable device that executives say will allow for unprecedented customization and service at sea. Read more at Skift

Hotels

Hilton’s Two Spin-Offs Are Finally Complete: As of January 4, Hilton Worldwide as we previously knew it no longer exists. Instead, Hilton Worldwide Holdings has officially completed the spin-offs of Park Hotels & Resorts, a lodging real estate investment trust (REIT), and Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (HGV), its timeshare business. All three entities are now independent, publicly traded companies. Read more at Skift

Luxury Hospitality in 2017: Simplicity, Wellness and Integrated Experiences: The luxury consumer in 2017 is seeking integrated experiences that align their various passions in a seamless whole, whereby the convergence of elements delivers a sum greater than its parts. Read more at Skift

Airbnb Is Becoming an Even Bigger Threat to Hotels Says a New Report: While the hotel industry has said Airbnb isn’t as big a threat to their business as some may think it is, a new report from Morgan Stanley Research suggests otherwise. Read more at Skift

The Hotelier-in-Chief: Trump’s Hospitality-Based Conflicts of Interest Are Mounting: As we edge closer to the days of Donald Trump leading the United States, reports are mounting that he is using his newfound position to influence potential business partners and politicians. Read more at Skift

Your Turn

Skift’s supertraveler Colin Nagy published a nice wishlist of what he (and his peers) would like to see for 2017. Read it here.

Tips and Comments

Can be sent to gm[at]skift[dot]com or to @grantkmartin

Subscribe to the Skift Business Traveler Newsletter

 
 

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.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn
Copyright © 2016 Skift, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Skift
1239 Broadway New York, NY
If you'd like to unsubscribe from this email, click here  |  If you'd like to receive fewer emails, click here