Dennis Schaal

Break out the champagne. In many respects, Travelport has wielded a financially selfish and negative influence over Orbitz Worldwide for years. That influence will soon be gone in most respects, and Orbitz will begin to be able to chart a more independent course.

Let's hope PKF can still do its research, benchmarking and consulting now that it has been gobbled up by a much-larger public company.

It's getting late very early for companies that fell way behind travel technology trends and now label road warriors who want to book their trips using modern tools as "misguided."

Branding has to be about substance, not just spin, and that's a lesson many companies still need to learn.

The dining discounts that travelers can now make through TripAdvisor because of its LaFourchette acquisition are mobile, compelling and undoubtedly of keen interest to its rival, The Priceline Group, which plans to wed OpenTable within a few months. Restaurants are only part one of TripAdvisor's dream to get very mobile in its in-destination offerings.

Hey, it isn't all about refurbishing the hotel lobby and placing a touch-screen in there. Millennial guests demand great customer service from staff, and they will quickly sour on a hotel if the staff isn't up to par.

It's nice to offer rewards program members personalized perks, but we're waiting to see whether assigning members to tiers based on a formula that isn't transparent will be popular among those for who loyalty programs are an art.

With the soccer ball angle, Southwest should have announced this recycling program during the World Cup. No worries, there is a good message about the environment and smart business here, and it is all sustainable.

The likes and dislikes of Chinese international travelers are in transformation mode as they increasingly travel and discover the world outside their home country. They are traveling more independently, booking online or via mobile apps, and giving big hotel chains a chance.

If airlines and airports had adequate charging facilities for electronic devices then the new UK and U.S. rules on powering up electronic devices at security wouldn't be a big problem. As it is now, implementation and policies varies widely, leading to a ton of confusion.