Marriott's Outdoor Bet, Amadeus CEO's Worries and FAA Chief's Exit

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Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday December 13, 2024. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Marriott is making a big bet on outdoor travel. The hospitality giant announced that it was acquiring Postcard Cabins, a startup that has 1,200 tiny cabins across the U.S. The company also entered a licensing agreement with Trailborn, a company that provides accommodations near national parks and other outdoor destinations. 

Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill reports that Postcard Cabins, formerly known as Getaway, has seen rapid growth since its founding in 2015. The company previously raised $81.8 million in venture capital funding.

Marriott said the two brands will be integrated into its booking systems and loyalty program sometime next year. 

Next, Skift Travel Tech Reporter Justin Dawes spoke with Amadeus CEO Luis Maroto, who warned the company could become obsolete without continued investment.

“We started our investments in hotels, in airports, in payments, many, many years ago. In my view, this is paying off, and the growth we are having in some of those areas had to do with investment we made pre-pandemic,” Maroto told Skift. 

The Amadeus chief executive said the company will also continue to look into M&A opportunities as a part of its strategy. 

And while some airlines are reevaluating their distribution strategies, Maroto said he believes modern airline retail tech, known as NDC, will be a “main technology.”

Finally, FAA chief Mike Whitaker announced that he would step down before President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. In a note to staff on Thursday, Whitaker did not say why he was resigning, reports Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. 

Whitaker had been in the top post for a little over a year, ending a nearly 19-month span where the FAA didn’t have a Senate-confirmed administrator. 

Now, whoever Trump picks to lead the agency will oversee Boeing’s increased oversight program, an air traffic controller shortage and the modernization of the National Airspace System. 

While Whitaker enjoyed bipartisan support from Congress, he was caught in the crosshairs of one of Trump’s key allies: Elon Musk, who has taken issue with the FAA on regulations related to SpaceX, going so far as to call for Whitaker to resign.