Register for our next webinar on September 12, 1–2 p.m. EST, when we'll explore the cultural and corporate shifts that are helping create a more people-first business travel environment.

Take a look back at Skift Global Forum history with us! We're amazed by our growth each year. Though we started with just 250 attendees in 2014, we'll welcome 1,100+ industry trailblazers to our fifth annual conference in less than three weeks!

JetBlue took criticism for moving to raise bag fees first. But the airline's CEO, Robin Hayes, made clear that customers who plan in advance will keep getting to pay the old rate.

After two blockbuster deals, change was to be expected. If travel agents end up getting more choice and better technology, they won't have much to get upset about.

The travel agent still exists for a reason. Despite having the option, plenty of people don't want to do it on their own, and are happy to get someone else to make plans – even if it costs more.

Folks in Pittsburgh would probably love a nonstop flight to Dubai. But will they get it? It seems unlikely, even if Emirates CEO Tim Clark said the airline would consider flights from smaller U.S. cities.

Longevity doesn't automatically mean success. Cox & Kings has had to adapt to the needs of 21st-century tourists and the ever-changing travel market. That it's still around after 260 years is testament to its ability to reinvent itself.

Overtourism is a struggle facing many destinations. Companies like Evaneos, which connects travelers with off-the-beaten-track tours and activities, may go some way to addressing the issue.

Vacation rental metasearch isn't necessarily ahead of its time, although it certainly isn't easy given the complexity of the inventory and the required backend technology. Still, any company needs to execute to make a go of it, and that appears to have been a quality in short supply at Tripping.

Southwest has survived by being different. That gets harder, but the lessons of its past success may help define its legacy. The Texas-based airline is one of the subjects in Skift's recent sixth anniversary book, For the Long Haul, Lessons on Business Longevity, whose chapters we are excerpting for you here.

Implementation of panic buttons, or employee safety devices, for hotel employees is a good start, but it should just be the beginning of the much broader measures the entire global hospitality industry should take to ensure the safety of every single person who walks through its doors.