Road Tripping in an Electric Car and Other Top Stories This Week

What I Learned About the Future of Electric Cars on My Family’s Summer Road Trip: We drove 2,400 miles and juiced up at 14 charging stations in August on a round-trip journey from New Jersey to Florida, and back. Our experience and my diary of that trip hopefully serves as a playbook for the companies that are still innovating for this still-nascent way to travel.

JetBlue’s Long Game Involves More International Flights: The airline’s planned takeover of Spirit will give it a bigger footprint in the U.S., but destinations including Africa are part of a bigger, bolder plan — one, however, that could take several years to materialize.

Hotel Gratuities Debate Reaches Tipping Point: The shift to a touchless society shouldn’t put guests out of touch with those who need a display of gratitude. Technology is on the brink of impacting wide-scale change when it comes to virtual tipping — and it can’t come fast enough.

American Airlines Sees Future Growth in Blended Leisure and Business Travel: American Airlines, travel company? Listen to the carrier’s chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja, for any amount of time and it’s clear change is afoot at the world’s largest airline.

Barry Diller Disparages Work From Home as ‘a Crock’: When it comes to work from home, Expedia Group Chairman Barry Diller doesn’t “get it,” but he’s not shy telling you about it.

What Marriott’s CEO Says About the Prospect of Another Mega-Merger: Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International, will not be surprised if a big merger or acquisition shakes up the hotel industry, but it most likely won’t involve his brand.

In Search of Corporate Travel’s Elusive Recovery: Most industry forecasts point to an eventual recovery — even to the 2019 high of $1.4 trillion in annual spending — as business trips start to bounce back. But many underlying trends are emerging in a fragile global economy. How we travel, and for what purpose, is far from certain as we enter a new era of accountability.

Airbnb CEO Vows to Bring New Focus to Experiences: Airbnb’s Brian Chesky may be over-estimating how many people will work from home in the future “glued” to their laptop screens. But the world has changed — for sure — and travel patterns have been altered as well, with new demand for experiences.

Google Streamlines Search for Train Trips in Europe: Google made it easier to find train routes and booking options in Europe. Like it did for flights, hotels, vacation rentals, and things to do, the new feature improves Google’s standing in the rail sector.

Expedia CEO Sees Plenty of Room Left for Growth in Online Travel: Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern is correct that there is a whole big world out there with lots of opportunities for online travel companies to grow. Don’t count out Expedia prematurely.