Skift Global Forum 2021

CEO Glenn Fogel has said before Booking Holdings must knit together "the connected trip" for customers, but not everyone has grasped the vision. Fogel seems right in saying that selling bundles of travel products is no longer enough in an era of Uber- and Amazon-style customer service.

Southwest Airlines' Robert Jordan is mostly excited about his new job but also "20 percent terrified." And for good reason, he takes the helm as the carrier navigates a hiring crunch in the midst of the recovery from the worst crisis in its history.

Don't discount the return of business travel demand, but Hilton has an advantage in having a bulk of its business transient traffic coming from smaller companies. Those relying on major corporate traffic to fill hotel rooms shouldn't get too excited quite yet.

Wow, CEO Expedia Peter Kern isn't afraid of saying what he thinks.

The message from these two outspoken speakers was clear: the travel industry must go beyond easy rhetoric on diversity to be inclusive, and community-minded. Copping out is not an option.

Accessible travel shouldn't be something to be checked off a list. Instead, Marlene Valle says, it's a human right.

It is certainly an attractive time for private equity firms to invest in travel companies under pressure, but picking winners is never a slam dunk.

What can make a travel companies truly put their money where their mouth is on sustainability? Threaten a lower placement on a Google search.

It's too early to tell if travelers will flock to the U.S. after the Biden administration eased entry requirements for European visitors to the U.S., Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith said. Instead, next summer could be when travel across the Atlantic resurges.

Come for the rides, stay for the food. Dara Khosrowshahi joined Uber as CEO when ridehailing was everything. Now he's navigating a multi-product approach. Yet when it comes to profits, Uber's still en route.