11 Stories to Start Your Work Week
On the outside, Norwegian Air's win on Friday may have seemed minor: permission to fly a few more flights between Europe and the U.S. But if so, why were the big three U.S. carriers fighting tooth and nail against it? Because it has the potential to remake U.S.-Europe flights, some of the most profitable routes on earth.
Stay tuned. — Jason Clampet, Editor-in-Chief
Skift Take: Politics is a funny game. There was little doubt the government would approve Norwegian's application — it had no legitimate basis to deny it — but the DOT still waited years before finally getting around to it. That was probably not fair to Norwegian, but the airline will survive.
Skift Take: With so many brands that fall under the luxury space, this makes sense but we wonder: what will happen to the other 20+ brands? How will Marriott contend with differentiating them, too?
Skift Take: The settlement with New York City amounts to a defeat for Airbnb in its largest market in the U.S.. If it were a public company, its stock would have just taken a nosedive. Now it remains to be seen how aggressively NYC enforces penalties against hosts who aren't present during a rental.
Skift Take: Take it from us, email is the most important communication tool in the travel marketer's handbook. Our latest SkiftEDU webinar shows you how to take advantage of its power.
Skift Take: Even if this test goes nowhere, and Delta stays with the status quo, you should give the airline some credit for trying something new (even if it's old). This is why most insiders believe Delta is the most innovative major U.S. carrier.
Skift Take: Most start-ups lose money, at least in the early stages. Before it was acquired by Accor, Onefinestay's most recent set of accounts show that it was burning through cash at a considerable rate and that its business was suffering as a result of attacks in Europe.
Skift Take: Germany has one the most innovative business strategies and fresh content models to attract more international conferences by focusing on research development and sector-specific industry expertise. But managing and delivering on those effectively and consistently comes with its growing pains.
Skift Take: United's highest-paying customers have a new place to call home at Chicago O'Hare. The Polaris lounge opened late last week and will be followed with similar properties across the globe through 2018.
Skift Take: Ryanair’s plan to “transform” the package holiday market is a bold one given that the company is late to the party. Other airlines have been supplementing their flights in this way for years.
Skift Take: The travel industry was among the earliest pioneers of online commerce. As Cyber Monday grows in importance for online retailers, it's only natural that more travel marketers are looking to capitalize on all the deal-making.
Weekend Recaps