2026 Archives

Southwest's CEO says the airline "doesn't have to become Delta." But these and other changes keep pushing it in that direction.

Adam Harris is drawing a line between the AI that wins demos and the AI that runs a hotel at 2 a.m. without triggering a chargeback. For operators staring down agent-on-agent commerce, that distinction is the whole game — and most of what's being committed to this year is on the wrong side of it.

The travel industry has spent three years talking about artificial intelligence. In the summer of 2026, we’re finally building with it.

Billionaire Tilman Fertitta is buying a debt pile with a casino company attached. His firm is assuming $11.9 billion of debt from Caesars while putting up $5.7 billion to acquire it. Expect asset sales as an endgame.

United is done trying to buy growth. Scott Kirby is now betting that weaker rivals will hand it to him for free.

YouTrip’s move raises a question: When do under-18s stop being an add-on to adult travel and become a customer segment in their own right? The answer may be much earlier than expected.

The ICE partnership hurt Avelo's brand. And the airline's CEO now acknowledges it had a real financial impact too.

Ten years after Hilton, Marriott, and other chains began coaxing travelers to book directly, online travel agencies still control roughly the same slice of the pie. Yet the chains have won the economics: lower commissions, better contract terms, and stronger loyalty programs.

On this week's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down a week where three big stories all pointed at the same shift:…

Accor had a retirement policy. So the news here is CEO Sébastien Bazin saying a “succession search” is underway and that he may leave sooner if the board “finds the right person.” More than 40% of shareholders voted against his pay.