Dennis Schaal

News Editor: Dennis has always been sort of Skiftish in proudly pursuing his change/transformation muse. Whether it was battling the high school baseball coach’s prohibition against bushy sideburns (oh, those prom pictures), getting arrested for sitting-in against apartheid or breaking scoops about disrupters in travel and technology, Dennis has always been writing and fighting against legacy thinking in its voluminous and varying forms. OK, so back to matters at hand: Before his News Editor role at Skift, Dennis was North America Editor of Tnooz and a member of the launch team; prior to that he filled a variety of slots at Travel Weekly, including Tech Editor and Business Travel Editor. He currently writes the Digital Traveler column at USA Today. Dennis’s favorite vacations? Scoping out the critters in the Galapagos, listening to guitar up a tree in Bruges, Belgium, and anywhere with his girlfriend.

Articles posted by Dennis Schaal

17 Jun 2013

  • United CEO: Changes took place too fast and airline still has “a ways to go”

    Transport

    After a year of operational and technical meltdowns at United Continental Holdings Inc., Chief Executive Jeff Smisek asserts that the worlds largest airline finally is on the mend. Mr. Smisek, in an interview, called 2012 “awful” for United. The company lost money, was hit by a wave of canceled and delayed flights, and infuriated many [...]

  • Travelocity wins hotel-price fixing lawsuit skirmish

    Digital

    A federal judge in Dallas ruled that plaintiffs suing Travelocity over allegations that it engaged in price-fixing with hotels would have to take their claims to arbitration in Tarrant County, Texas, where the online travel agency is headquartered. U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle ruled June 15 that the provisions of Travelocity’s user agreement of February [...]

  • Meetings and conventions bookings sluggish compared with trips for vacations

    Digital

    With the economy on the rebound, Americans once again are cracking open their pocketbooks to take family vacations and other leisure trips. But corporate managers in charge of spending for business conferences and conventions remain tightfisted with their money.

15 Jun 2013

  • TripAdvisor promotes Jetsetter and kills its SniqueAway flash-sales brand

    Digital

    Less than three months after acquiring Jetsetter, TripAdvisor is phasing out its home-grown private-sales brand, SniqueAway, Skift has learned. When TripAdvisor acquired Jetsetter in April, the spin was that the two brands, Jetsetter and SniqueAway would co-exist, but sales director Kathleen Hanefeld has emailed hotel partners, informing them that “as of June 28, SniqueAway.com will [...]

  • Passengers at Seattle airport facing security gridlock

    Transport

    Increased summer travel is responsible for delays at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport security lines, the airport and Transportation Security Administration said. About 150 passengers have missed flight on Alaska Airlines since Sunday because of waits of more than an hour in security lines, airline spokeswoman Marianne Lindsey said Thursday. “Summer travel season is on,” she said. [...]

  • Vacation home sales pick up in resort towns in sign of recovery’s staying power

    Destinations

    Leslie and Scott Tyree backed out of a contract in 2011 to buy a weekend place in Hilton Head, South Carolina, fearing they’d be anchored to a sinking market for second homes. This year, the West Virginia couple pounced on a listing in the same resort town without visiting the property. They bought the two-bedroom [...]

  • Channel Tunnel rail competition heats up with Deutsche Bahn entry

    Destinations

    Deutsche Bahn AG has been granted the right to run London-bound trains through the Channel Tunnel in competition with Eurostar Group Ltd. following three years of study by the body responsible for safety in the subsea link. The German state rail company was given the go-ahead by the Anglo-French Intergovernmental Commission, Groupe Eurotunnel SA, which [...]

  • FastJet will skip South Africa domestic flights for now as it focuses on international

    Transport

    Fastjet, the low-cost African airline backed by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, has put its plans for internal South African flights on hold as it launches international routes across the continent. It said it has been granted permission to fly from Tanzania to South Africa, Zambia and Rwanda, and will soon announce launch dates for flights [...]

14 Jun 2013

  • The future of U.S. tourism: China, Brazil and Saudi Arabia lead the way

    Destinations

    Chinese tourists will be arriving in the U.S. over the next few years by the millions, but U.S. tourism should also get ready for an influx of visitors from Saudi Arabia, the Russian Federation, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Travel & Tourism Industries’ 2013 Spring Travel Forecast shows that [...]

  • Carnival Triumph returns to service at steeply discounted rates

    Transport

    The Carnival Triumph returned to service yesterday, four months after its infamous Western Caribbean sailing that left more than 4,200 passengers without toilets and other basic services. The ship, slated for a four-day sailing to Cozumel, comes as Carnival Corp.’s cruise pricing has taken a big hit. Consider that you can now reserve an inside [...]