

Skift Daily Travel Briefing
Skift
Everything you need to know about the business of travel today. Each episode covers new travel stories from Skift's editorial team. Listen to the latest developments at hotels, airlines, destinations, online booking sites, and more.Published Tuesday through Friday by 5am ET.For ongoing coverage, please visit Skift.com/news.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 29, 2025 • 4min
Airbnb’s Fee Shake-Up, Perks for Slow Travel and the Supersonic Race
Airbnb will introduce a single-fee payment system in October, shifting service charges from guests to property managers, who will now pay 14–16% per booking, though the company says overall costs remain unchanged. Meanwhile, employers such as Positive Planet and Climate Perks are offering extra vacation days to staff who opt for lower-carbon travel methods like trains over flights, part of a growing “slow travel” movement. Finally, Boom Supersonic plans to launch three-hour New York–London flights by 2029 with its Overture aircraft, aiming for business-class travelers with $3,500 round-trip fares and new engine technology to replace the Concorde’s outdated design.
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Aug 28, 2025 • 4min
Moneyball for Hotels, Penn Station's Overhaul and Huge Labor Day Air Travel
HotelAVE has grown into a $12 billion hotel asset management firm by using data to uncover profit gaps at properties, often challenging industry norms on operations and pricing strategies. The company has also built proprietary software to integrate data from multiple management systems, streamlining analysis and decision-making. Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced a multi-billion-dollar renovation of New York’s Penn Station to begin by 2027, Amtrak debuted its new high-speed Acela trains, and U.S. airlines are preparing for their busiest Labor Day weekend in 15 years, with TSA expecting to screen more than 17 million passengers.
Moneyball for Hotels: How a $12 Billion Asset Management Firm Finds Value
Trump Administration Plans Penn Station Overhaul in NYC, Amtrak Debuts High-Speed Acelas
Labor Day to Cap Busiest Summer for U.S. Airlines in 15 Years
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Aug 27, 2025 • 4min
Frontier Vs. Spirit, Ryanair Plus Booking and Flight Attendants Vs. Bad Deals
Frontier Airlines is adding 20 new routes targeting some of Spirit Airlines’ most popular leisure destinations as Spirit faces financial uncertainty and warns it may not survive without additional funding. Ryanair has struck a deal with Booking Holdings to list its fares on Booking.com, Kayak, and Priceline, part of a broader effort to partner with online travel agencies it once criticized. Meanwhile, boarding pay has become a major issue in North American flight attendant contract talks, with unions gaining leverage amid staffing shortages and record airline profits.
Why Boarding Pay Is the New Battleground for Flight Attendants
Frontier Airlines Comes for Spirit With Latest New Routes
Ryanair to Put Its Fares on Booking.com, Priceline and Kayak
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Aug 26, 2025 • 4min
Hyatt’s New Perks, TikTok’s Hotel Play and Spirit’s Struggles
Hyatt now allows World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem points on non-room experiences through its new “Find Experiences” program, part of a broader industry effort to boost ancillary revenue. TikTok has partnered with Booking.com in the U.S., enabling users to book hotels directly via TikTok’s app by clicking on location pins in videos or search results. Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines issued a “going concern” warning, saying it may not survive the next year without additional funding after posting significant losses and emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.
Hyatt Expands Loyalty Program to Cover Experiences: Exclusive
TikTok Users Can Now Book Hotels via Booking.com
Spirit Airlines Was Once One of the Most Profitable Carriers. Now, Its Future Is in Doubt
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Aug 22, 2025 • 4min
Google's New AI Tool, U.S. Visa Scrutiny and UK Rail Fare Hikes
Google’s new Pixel 10 feature, Magic Cue, uses AI to scan apps, emails, and screenshots to quickly surface airline and hotel details, making it easier to manage bookings or share travel information. The U.S. State Department confirmed all 55 million valid visa holders are under continuous vetting, monitoring records and social media as part of the Trump administration’s stricter border policies and potential new visa fees. Meanwhile, British officials see rail travel as key to cutting aviation emissions, but rising train fares risk undermining its cost advantage over flying and discouraging lower-emission travel.
All U.S. Visa Holders Subject to ‘Continuous Vetting’
Google’s Magic Cue Uses AI to Quickly Surface Travel Info
Planes vs. Trains: UK Rail Fare Hikes Could Derail Climate Goals
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Aug 21, 2025 • 4min
Tripadvisor Under Pressure, Trump's D.C. Hotels and Trump and Alaska's Loyalty Play
Tripadvisor faces fresh activist pressure as investor Palliser urges the company to prioritize or sell its fast-growing Viator unit, which it values higher than Tripadvisor’s entire market cap. Washington, D.C., hotels saw occupancy dip to 64% after a federal takeover of local police, though the decline mirrors broader national softening in demand. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines launched a joint loyalty program, Atmos Rewards, and Alaska struck a deal to equip its fleet with Starlink Wi-Fi.
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Aug 20, 2025 • 4min
Southwest's Vacation Packages, Frustrated Biz Travelers and the Rate Cut Travel Companies Long For
Southwest Airlines is launching Getaways by Southwest, its own vacation packages platform that bundles flights, hotels, and ground transportation, allowing customers to earn Rapid Rewards points while booking in over 30 markets such as Las Vegas, Orlando, and Hawaii. At the same time, business travelers are increasingly frustrated by content fragmentation in corporate travel booking, with airlines distributing fares across multiple systems; a Sabre survey found 90% of agencies now use four or more booking systems, raising costs and complicating itineraries. Meanwhile, the travel industry is closely watching the Federal Reserve’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, where even a modest rate cut could lower financing costs for airlines and hotels while boosting affluent consumer demand for high-end trips.
Southwest Airlines Rolls Out Its Own Vacation Packages
Business Travelers Frustrated With Missing Fares in Corporate Booking Tools
Travel Industry Looks for Fed Signals at Jackson Hole
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Aug 19, 2025 • 4min
Soho House Goes Private, Hotel Investment Stalls and Long-Haul Climate Impact
Soho House is going private in a $2.7 billion deal led by MCR Hotels and CEO Tyler Morse, while billionaire Ron Burkle will remain its controlling shareholder; the move follows three straight profitable quarters for the global members-only club operator. At the same time, global hotel investment activity has slowed, with JLL reporting a 16% drop in transactions during the first half of the year as large, debt-heavy deals disappear and smaller select-service and extended-stay properties dominate. Separately, NYU researchers found that most people underestimate the climate impact of their actions, especially long-haul flights, suggesting airlines could play a larger role in educating travelers by providing clearer carbon data and highlighting lower-emission options.
Global Hotel Investment Stalls as High Debt Costs Deter Large Deals
Soho House to Go Private in $2.7 Billion Deal Led by MCR Hotels
Flying vs. Recycling: Travelers Get Climate Math Wrong
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Aug 15, 2025 • 4min
Google's AI Flights, Airbnb's BNPY Feature, and Air Canada’s Disruptions
Google is launching an AI-powered Flight Deals tool aimed at flexible travelers willing to trade fixed plans for lower prices. Airbnb introduced a Reserve Now, Pay Later feature in the U.S., giving guests more payment flexibility as part of its strategy to boost domestic bookings. Meanwhile, Air Canada began canceling flights ahead of a potential flight attendant strike, with negotiations stalled over wage increases.
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Aug 14, 2025 • 4min
Canadians Shun U.S., Ennismore’s IPO Impact, and MSC’s Carbon Cuts
Canadian travel to the U.S. continued to fall in July, with sharp declines in both car and air returns, while visits to other countries like Japan and Brazil increased. A potential IPO for Ennismore could reshape investor sentiment toward lifestyle hotels, signaling a shift in value from scale to brand identity and experience. Meanwhile, MSC Cruises reduced emissions last year through tech upgrades but warned that without major decarbonization breakthroughs, emissions will rise again as its fleet expands.
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