American's Distribution Payoff + Sapphire Dives Into Tours + Delta's Tech Bet

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

October 4, 2018

Editor's Note Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill offers two rarities today: the story of an executive who decided to stay at his company (when it is all too easy for us in the press to write about those who leave), and in that same story, he tells of the evolution of a once-controversial strategy denounced for years by three major power players in the back end of airline reservation operations. That evolution was heavily influenced by Cory Garner, the executive who stayed instead of retiring, and who must feel some vindication for his groundbreaking work at American Airlines. O'Neill takes you through the eight-year history of American's "direct-connect" strategy. Tech middlemen Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport bristled at this effort as an attempt to circumvent their powerful hold on reservations. But Garner stayed with the strategy at American, bided his time, smoothed out the rough edges, and got enough buy-in from the incumbents to declare direct connect on the right trajectory. Another airline lesson in perseverance. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Balancing Privacy and Personalization for Today's Empowered Traveler Sponsored by Conversant Data privacy is becoming a growing issue for consumers, even as travel brands try to gather more accurate identity details and deliver personalized experiences. Is it possible to thread the needle between these seemingly conflicting goals? Emerging strategies suggest the answer is yes. Read More Top Stories Announced at Skift Global Forum Last Week: Skift Wellness We're launching a weekly newsletter covering the business of modern wellness, examined through our signature lens of marketing, strategy, and tech. You can sign up today! American Airlines Feels Vindicated in Its Second Try at Direct Distribution American Airlines has moved away from its earlier belligerence to navigate a cooperative path with distribution middlemen. The airline appears to be making more gains this time around. Credit Card Giant Chase Jumps Into Tours and Activities Tours and activities partnerships like the one between Atlas Obscura and Chase seem like a win-win. Card companies acquire knowledge about trends in the sector, and what travelers are demanding. Meanwhile, tour operators get access to loyal consumers willing to shell out for the trip of a lifetime. American Makes It Harder for Agents to Rebook Coach Passengers on the Competition It's reasonable to ask whether airline re-accommodation agreements still make sense in 2018. In how many industries will one company happily hand you over to the competition after a slight service hiccup? But road warriors love these deals. It means they can get home, or to an important meeting, even when their favorite airline screws up. Hopper Raises $100 Million More for Airfare and Hotel Rate Prediction Hopper has raised $184 million since its founding. Its survival is a testament to the remarkable perseverance of its founders. But the company is also likely now overpriced to what potential acquirers would be willing to pay, and its fate remains in limbo. World's 50 Best Restaurants Closes Partnership Deal With Singapore Tourism Board This is a big win for the Singapore Tourism Board. The World's 50 Best show is hardly a fair representation of global gastronomic excellence, but it is a marketing juggernaut for host cities, and Singapore will be the center of attention in the food world when the partnership kicks off next year. Delta Is Betting on Tablet Technology to Solve In-Flight Entertainment Conundrum Maybe Delta's new in-flight screens on its Airbus A220s will be better than previous generations. Or maybe they won't be. Either way, Delta deserves credit. Few of its competitors put screens on domestic airplanes anymore. Delta could have easily gone without them. Producing Less Waste Is Quickly Becoming a Priority for Events Worldwide As environmental awareness grows, everyone in the meetings supply chain has to demonstrate their green credentials. For now, events with environmental certifications may have an advantage, but as expectations rise, this will soon be a minimum requirement. Popular Now JetBlue Lays Out a Growth Plan by Doubling Down on 3 U.S. Cities United President Scott Kirby likes to say that if an airline is not first in market share in a market, it's as good as being last. JetBlue executives likely don't agree. They generally argue that JetBlue, America's sixth-largest carrier, is big enough to compete with more established competitors. Marriott CEO to Unhappy Loyalty Members: 'Hang With Us' Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson knows that not everyone is thrilled with the merged Marriott-Starwood loyalty program. But at Skift Global Forum, he made the case for why they should be — and said he hopes they'll come around. 4 Trends Defining Tourism Marketing in 2018 We've seen a lot of tried-and-true marketing tactics from destinations this year, but we also saw some newer, smarter strategies on how to use the masses of content and opinions available these days, thanks to social media. 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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