2016 Archives

Whether you look at these 2016 predictions from the perspective of a consumer or the perspective of an airline, they are beneficial aims. They are also tall orders. We don’t think airlines can accomplish all of these goals in 2016, but they should make progress. Or they had better get busy starting.

When Priceline.com decided to try to reinvigorate the brand, it studied the data: Travelers are taking shorter, more frequent trips, and many are booking them on mobile at the last-minute. Their customers are heading to Rome, Georgia more frequently to that other Rome where Vatican tours are available. The data called for a streamlined site and app emphasizing "deals near me," pay at the hotel, and easier-to-book products.

OneGo's subscription-based flight service for just $1,500 is certainly an interesting concept. But additional costs for rebooking and access to coast-to-coast flights may make it a difficult buy for small businesses.

A warm meal is an easy way to get a bit of loyalty love from flyers.

Don't downplay the importance of intangibles and narratives in the online travel business. Expedia won 2015. Booking.com won't sit back in 2016. In this transitional year in online travel and lodging on so many levels, you can expect that Booking.com will be heard from.

It may be a bit messy considering geo-politics and the coming divisive election, but U.S. travelers are still in an excellent position to travel with fatter wallets and broader horizons than they have in a decade.

Commune Hotels' CEO Niki Leondakis could be just the person to shift the lifestyle hospitality discussion beyond the tired "independent spirit" narrative to a more modern focus on personalized, mobile-first, on-demand experiences.

This is the first time we've been able to make a direct causal link between smart city infrastructure and a cohesive consumer-facing tourism application leveraging the Internet of Things. This is the future of travel.

Get a deeper, more conversational dive into the big issues affecting travel. Listen and subscribe to the weekly Skift Podcast.

Now that TSA PreCheck is mostly being used by people who know how it works, everyone who has paid to use the program is probably happier.