Daily Podcast: Pilots on Picket Lines

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast explains why airline pilots are turning to demonstrations to voice their concerns, why European leaders are questioning remote work practices, and how Indonesia’s hotels are recovering from the pandemic.

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Episode Notes

Pilots across the United States have staged large-scale demonstrations in recent days with more scheduled to take place this month, but what’s driving their frustration? Contributor Ted Reed writes that pilots are furious about their increasingly congested schedules.

As the travel industry’s recovery is driving airlines to ramp up their flight schedules, pilots — many of whom have said they’re overworked — are expressing their anger at demonstrations at U.S. airports. Pilots at Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, among other carriers, have staged protests in recent days. Evan Baach, a spokesperson for the Delta chapter of the Air Lines Pilots Association, said the demonstrations are a message to management that the pilots are fatigued.

The widespread frustration among pilots is unlikely to die down soon. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, said airlines are still grappling with pilot shortages as they approach the busy summer season.

Next, remote work continues to boom worldwide, but European politicians are zeroing on its negative aspects as they debate establishing new parameters to reign the practice in, writes Corporate Travel Editor Matthew Parsons in his Future of Work briefing.

Sara Matthieu, a European Parliament member, said at a European Union roundtable titled “In Search of a New Work-Life Balance” that the growth of remote work has contributed to an always-on culture. She added that the “right to disconnect,” a prominent theme during a two-hour debate European politicians held last week, is an indispensable right in the digital era but hasn’t yet been regulated in European Union law.

Meanwhile, representatives from Zoom and WeWork have stated they’re taking steps to address the dark side of remote work. A Zoom executive said his company has installed tools in its platform that enable users to not be contacted outside of work hours.

We end today in Indonesia. Its hospitality industry is expected to continue its enormous growth following the government’s decision to significantly ease travel restrictions, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia.

Indonesia, which dropped all quarantine requirements for international visitors in February, has seen a surge in visitor arrivals this year that has sparked the increase in its average room occupancy rate for hotels. But Bhutia writes its hospitality sector is poised more significant growth in other areas. The tourism and hotel market share in Indonesia is projected to increase by $22 billion from 2021 to 2026. In addition, hotel companies such as Marriott and Kimpton are among the industry giants adding properties in Indonesia to their portfolio.