Travel Industry Earnings Coverage

TripAdvisor stated earlier this year that its transition to transactions, or Instant Booking, would show progress in the second half of 2016. There is indeed a morsel of progress but not enough to satisfy investors and other critics.

There have long been rumblings that the OpenTable acquisition was problematic for the Priceline Group. Now we learn the depth of the problem -- a $941 million impairment charge.

When the U.S. election (presumably) concludes on Tuesday, companies might be able to invest in travel with a little more certainty about their return on investment. Vacationers will likely be looking to take a break from the tense political climate in the U.S., as well.

If Virgin America was not expected to merge with Alaska Airlines, analysts likely would fret about Virgin America's falling unit revenue. But since Virgin America is now in limbo, waiting to see if it can close its merger, it's not clear how much the unit revenue decrease matters.

Direct booking is not really a war where one side must lose. Both the large hotel chains and online travel agencies could wind up better off if they act rationally on pricing.

Royal Caribbean reported a lot of promising news Friday, and investors were glad to hear it. Is it too soon to think the worst of this year's cruise woes are in the past?

Google is getting disrupted on a number of fronts and the emergence of Facebook as a viable advertising alternative -- or supplement, actually -- for Expedia and other big travel advertisers is part of it.

Critics of Expedia Inc.'s 2014-2015 acquisition spree appear to have had a valid point: These sorts of mergers and integrations can be very distracting and complex. Expedia has felt the pain now in the second and third quarters and could be in for some more until it get can get things back on course. Expedia's competitors will take advantage.

Allegiant has been busy with other matters in recent years, but the airline should once again focus on selling vacation packages. The margins on hotel rooms, rental cars and attraction tickets are usually much higher than margins on airfares.

Concerns about security, especially in Europe, continue to play on the minds of both business and leisure travellers. Still InterContinental’s CEO remains bullish, believing that the sector’s fundamentals "remain compelling."