Most Popular Travel App + Big Win for Amadeus + Loyalty Fatigue

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

October 6, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor There have been so many headlines about the difficulties U.S. travel and other e-commerce companies faced in trying to break through in China. A less-told tale, however, revolves around the nightmares European travel companies, from Skyscanner to Cheapflights and Momondo, experienced in attempting to find a footing in North America. Now along comes Madrid-based Amadeus, which yesterday announced a contract to provide Air Canada with a new reservations system. This followed Amadeus' game-changing agreement a few years ago to be the reservations-system vendor for Southwest Airlines after years of aimlessly wandering in the North America deserts without a major airline-tech contract. Amadeus persisted — and it is paying off. Another phenomenon that has persisted — or hung around — is flash sales. Or at least venture capitalists are still tossing money into companies offering these here-today and gone-tomorrow deals for price-conscious vacationers. London-based Secret Escapes just added $111 million in funding to its coffers to prove there really is no consumer loyalty when it comes to securing a bargain vacation package. To each her own. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Redefining the Guest Experience with Better Hotel Technology [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Cenium Hotels are looking at the guest experience and the offerings available in more sophisticated ways than ever before. However, the current technologies that these services are based upon limit the hotel's ability to provide the guest with a seamless journey. Read More Top Stories Airbnb Was Most-Installed Travel App in September It looks like Airbnb is experiencing a huge upswing in mobile adoption. But traditional search engines and social networks are still driving consumers to travel sites on desktop, too. Amadeus Wins Air Canada Contract as It Digs In Deeper in North America With this deal, the Madrid-based technology giant has scored another win in North America, after having finished moving Southwest Airlines to Amadeus' reservations platform earlier this year. Loyalty-Program Fatigue and What to Do About It Personalization and mobile tools will allow loyalty programs to create more compelling offers for their members in coming years. The most important advances, however, may originate outside of the travel industry. Skift Trends Report: Understanding Travel Risk Perceptions & Realities [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Allianz Worldwide Partners Major storms. Political unrest. Military conflict. These travel risks are longstanding examples of events that can drive a vacation or a business trip way off course. Download our report to learn how companies can meet travelers' expectations when it comes to risk and insurance. Download Now Tiny Cruise Lines Azamara and Cunard Are Finally Growing One new ship for most cruise lines wouldn't make a world of difference, but for these niche brands, the expansion will be significant. Secret Escapes Raises $111 Million in a Flash Sales Revival: Travel Startup Funding This Week Groupon may have its struggles and many similar sites have gone out of business, but travel flash sales have a stubborn persistence — even if they would probably get additional traction in more perilous economic times. Popular Now United Complains Airbus Won't Give It Competitive Prices We like United President Scott Kirby because he says what's on his mind. But something doesn't add up here. Is this the real reason United hasn't placed a new order for the A320 family of jets? Google's New Earbuds With Real-Time Translation Have Huge Implications for Travel The first iteration of this technology could be glitchy, but the ability to translate your speech into 40 languages could turn out to be something of a true killer app for the travel industry. What Monarch Air's Bankruptcy Means for European Aviation While there might be too many European airlines, Monarch's demise shouldn't necessarily be seen as being symptomatic of wider industry problems. Like Alitalia and Air Berlin before it, the UK-based airline and tour operator had plenty of self-inflicted wounds that were exacerbated by external issues. 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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