Ugly Science of New Airline Routes + Study Hotels' Contrarian Playbook + Luggage Crackdown

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

December 4, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor Aviation Business Reporter Brian Sumers chronicled the American Airlines pilot-scheduling drama last week and you can read about its mostly happy ending today. But if you haven't read Sumers' Airline Insiders series, then you are missing out. Today, Sumers looks at Allegiant Air, and the fascinating science — and sometimes-hit-and-miss nature — of choosing which new routes to launch. Smaller cities, armed with fancy reports from veteran consultants, woo Allegiant to start a route. Sometimes it all works out for both parties, but often it doesn't. No one ever said the airline business, or even the wider travel industry, is for the faint of heart. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Top Stories Ring in 2018 With Savings on Skift Research In 2018 we will be increasing the prices for Skift Research. Act now to save $300 on an Annual Subscription — Gain access to Research Reports, Data Sheets, and Analyst Sessions — And beat the price increase. Allegiant Air Agonizes Over New Routes for Months or Even Years Allegiant can't fly its MD80s from some cities at certain times of the year. It sometimes cancels routes before they launch. And it's not interested in coast-to-coast routes. Learn why in this discussion with the airline's director of planning. Study Hotels CEO on Why True Independence Matters More Than Ever When everyone else in hospitality is going asset light or turning to soft brands, Study Hotels is content to do its own thing and at its own pace. American Airlines Cracks Down on Smart Luggage With Built-In Batteries This is a good move by American Airlines. Yes, passengers should know they can't check luggage with built-in chargers. But there's always a big scrum on the plane or at the gate when bags must be checked at the last minute. Surely, some passengers forget to remove the batteries. Finding Solutions for the Overtourism Dilemma: 5 Skift Call Takeaways Overtourism may be worsening in many destinations, but there are real, practical solutions to employ. Among them is using funds for something besides driving visitation. American Airlines Solves Its Holiday Pilot Problem and Will Not Cancel Any Flights This was a lot of public drama for no reason. Maybe it would have been better for the company and the union to solve their differences in private. The flights would have continued as scheduled, and no one would have known there was an issue. Video: IHG CEO on Where He'll Break New Ground Barr is touting his experience in China and his company's long presence there as an advantage in understanding global consumer trends. But is that enough to raise the company's cool factor in western markets? Popular Now Google Hotels Revamps Mobile Features as Its Ambitions Expand Google wants consumers to buy more travel on it. That may prompt industry players to closely patrol the gray line between the search giant referring more customers to them and Google becoming customers' first choice for booking trips. Amazon Wants More Hotels Using Alexa Voice-Powered Services "Siri: How will Apple respond to hotels adopting Amazon's Alexa?" That's the question. Half of European Business Travelers Shun Their Corporate Booking Tools Business travelers in Europe are completely divided on how they prefer to book their work travel. Travel management companies need to make their online booking tools more compelling and easier to use. 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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