Airbnb Battles Price Gouging, Airlines Hit New Highs and a Lux Cruise Deal
Skift Take
Key Points
- Airbnb has introduced a policy to prevent hosts in Los Angeles and Ventura counties from raising prices by more than 10% during the wildfire emergency.
- In 2024, airlines achieved record-breaking passenger capacity, with U.S. airlines dominating the global market and Atlanta's airport being the busiest.
- Luxury cruise company Ponant acquired Aqua Expeditions, enhancing its financial capacity for expansion into new regions like East Africa.
Summary
Airbnb has implemented measures to curb price gouging during the LA wildfires by preventing significant price hikes from hosts. In 2024, the airline industry saw record passenger capacity with U.S. airlines leading the market, and Atlanta's airport was the busiest globally. Additionally, luxury cruise group Ponant acquired Aqua Expeditions, enabling expansion into new regions such as East Africa.
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Airbnb has unveiled measures to crack down on price gouging in the wake of wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Airbnb said hosts in Los Angeles and Ventura counties will be blocked from raising their prices more than 10% from levels before the fires broke out. Hosts in those two counties who attempt to do so would receive an error message.
The policy comes after a consumer alert issued by California Attorney General Rob Bonta reminding residents that price gouging is illegal during a state of emergency. Bonta said the state has received hundreds of complaints about landlords substantially raising rents in the aftermath of the disaster.
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Next, 2024 was a record-breaking year for airlines, and Airlines Editor Gordon Smith lists four takeaways from the latest data compiled by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
There was record-breaking passenger capacity despite a decrease in scheduled flights from 2019, which Smith attributed to airlines using larger aircraft with a higher average seating capacity. U.S. airlines were dominant in 2024, taking four out of the top five spots globally, as measured by total number of seats on sale.
In addition, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson was the world’s busiest airport in 2024, while eight out of 10 of the planet’s busiest routes last year were in Asia.
Finally, luxury cruise group Ponant Explorations Group announced on Thursday it had acquired Aqua Expeditions, a company known for small-ship cruises in remote locations, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
O’Neill writes the deal brings together two significant players in high-end, small-ship cruising, a booming sector in the travel industry. The acquisition will provide Aqua Expeditions with significant financial resources for expansion, with the company preparing to launch itineraries in East Africa. It currently runs expeditions across three continents.
Photo Credit: Woman in a park holding a smartphone with Airbnb app on the screen. Adobe Stock / Diego
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