Alaska Air’s New Subscription Model and Top Travel Stories This Week

Throughout the week we are posting original stories night and day covering news and travel trends, including on the impact of coronavirus. Every weekend we will offer you a chance to read the most essential stories again in case you missed them earlier.

Alaska Airlines Debuts Subscription Model for Flights: Alaska Airlines’s new subscription service could shift the company’s sales strategy. It may push the carrier to build lifetime customer value rather than see each purchase as a one-off transaction.

Marriott’s Executive Chairman J.W. Marriott to Retire in May: Truly an end of an era: Bill Marriott is why the world’s largest hotel company exploded beyond the restaurant business into a global force in hospitality.

Inspirato’s Public Debut Receives Investor Endorsement of Subscription Travel: Unlike Airbnb and Vrbo, which have struggled at times to attract ample numbers of hosts to meet demand, Inspirato and its subscription model play in a more focused space. Although there is plenty of competition, there are tons of potential home leases to lay siege for around the world where the monied set want to jet and play.

JP Morgan to Acquire Frosch Luxury Travel Agency: This deal would break the mold of so many technology plays we’ve seen to date, giving JP Morgan an edge in supporting bookings with experienced consultants.

Tripadvisor Files Paperwork to Take Viator Public: You can look for plenty of wheeling-dealing behind the scenes as Tripadvisor mulls taking Viator public and investigates alternatives with potential buyers or partners.

Expedia CEO Takes Shot at Airbnb Chief Brian Chesky’s Long-Term Stays Mantra: Expedia Group’s Peter Kern may or may not be correct in his claim that the trend toward long-term stays will eventually weaken to a considerable degree. On the other hand, his Vrbo vacation rental brand probably could have done more to capitalize on the trend.

Turkish Airlines Super Bowl Ad Connects With Deep Travel Emotions: So many Super Bowl ads strive for this level of emotion, to tap into deeply felt, pent-up or even repressed sentiments during a certain moment in history. The Turkish Airlines ad, getting aired during the tumult of a pandemic, will connect with people, and is so on point for the airline.

Delta Launches Buy-Now, Pay-Later Option to Capture Gen Z Flyers: Delta is the latest to jump on the buy-now, pay-later train with American Express’ “Plan It” offering. The airline hopes the functionality will help it attract — and keep — more cost-conscious younger travelers who have been leading the recovery

Pendry Wants to Blur the Lines Between Boutique and Luxury in Hotels: Pendry has built an interesting boutique-feeling brand on top of actual luxury knowledge and operations. The result is something differentiated in the market and worth keeping an eye on.

Lonely Planet Buys Local Experts Site Elsewhere for Trip Planning: Even if Lonely Planet’s main reason for acquiring Elsewhere isn’t to sell more guidebooks, increasing its digital scope will help the publisher do so. The company still hasn’t made a full recovery from the pandemic, so it needs to take steps to turn increasing numbers of people eager for travel advice toward its products.