Rashaad Jorden

While the airlines can be encouraged that flight bookings made in several parts of the world are nearing pre-pandemic marks, the low figure recorded in the Asia-Pacific region is a sign that China's tight outbound restrictions are putting a major dent in the aviation's recovery worldwide.

The airline industry may say it welcomes the pressure from investors to be more green, but consumers too, hold an enormous amount of sway about whether airlines can be truly more sustainable. The questions is if travelers are willing to pony up more money to help the environment.

As relieved as many tour operators have been to resume trips, the challenges those companies face from vaccine scamsters are growing, and is a huge distraction and risk for these companies trying to come back from the precipice.

The aviation industry's target of achieving net zero emissions is a necessary step to combat climate change but it will be enormously difficult as the number of people taking to the skies shows no signs of slowing down — especially as destinations are reopening. IATA's new hire of an industry outsider signals that it will be a priority.

In Skift's top stories this week, Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer announces he will leave the post in 2022, numerous hotel executives express optimism about the industry's recovery, and a large number of U.S. travel agencies struggle to serve customers due to a shortage of advisors.

Although some travel companies have succeeded in finding suitable restaurants for clients via OpenTable, the fact they've had to resort to the platform is a sign of how difficult planning travel has become during the pandemic.

The U.S. travel agency industry will only make a complete recovery when it manages to replace advisors cut during the pandemic. A lack of staff has often made booking trips difficult for people eager to use travel advisor services.

In Skift's top stories this week, Sabre reveals that it's lost of Expedia's business in North America, Trivago's CEO predicts when travel will return to normal, and Hyatt makes significant inroads in Europe.

The unexpected growth figures in the latest U.S. jobs report is another sign of the roll that the hotel industry is on as leisure travel is recovering and numerous hotel chains are approaching pre-pandemic metrics.

In Skift's top stories this week, Hawaiian Airlines bets a new business class cabin will attract leisure travelers, the UK is increasing taxes on long-haul flights, and Hilton gets an enormous boost from strong business travel numbers.