D/R DOWNLOAD 11.14

What’s Trending

01/ On Google

• “When will air travel return to normal” trended +1,750% this week after the 43-day U.S. government shutdown ended, though major disruptions are expected to linger. Delays across air travel, federal services, and national parks may take weeks to resolve.

02/ With Media

• This week, media were interested in top Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Travel Tuesday deals, wellness trends at sea, top 2026 travel trends, how cruise lines celebrate the holidays, resorts that go all out for Christmas, and more. 

• The Farmers’ Almanac, first published in 1818, will cease production after its 2026 edition due to financial challenges in today’s media landscape. Editors say its two centuries of weather lore, gardening tips, and practical wisdom will live on even after the publication ends.

03/ In the Zeitgeist

• Vine, the beloved six-second video app shut down by Twitter in 2017, will reboot as diVine with support from Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s cofounder and former CEO. The reboot will revive roughly 10,000 archived videos on a decentralized platform and aims to bring back early-internet nostalgia while blocking AI-generated content.

• The final U.S. penny has been produced after 232 years, citing rising manufacturing costs that now far exceed the coin’s value. While no new pennies will be made, an estimated 300 billion remain in circulation, carrying the coin’s cultural legacy forward.

• Shoppers are embracing “Ralph Lauren Christmas,” a trend that reflects a shift away from minimalist holiday styling toward warmth, tradition, and comforting nostalgia..

Industry Insights

• Americans are planning to travel for the holidays despite lingering shutdown-related air travel issues, according to a new Upgraded Points survey. Most will stay local, but 26% expect to fly and 14% plan long road trips to avoid airport disruptions.

• Thanksgiving bus and train bookings surged as widespread flight cancellations from the government shutdown pushed travelers to alternate transportation. Demand for rail, bus, and one-way car rentals continues to climb amid air travel disruption.

• Sonder, a Marriott licensed short-term rental company, abruptly shut down and announced it will file for bankruptcy, leaving guests worldwide evicted from hotels with little warning or support, and forcing many to rebook costly last-minute accommodations.

• Apple rolled out a new feature that will allow U.S. travelers to store their passport on their iPhone for TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports during domestic travel. While it cannot replace a physical passport for international trips, the feature offers added convenience for those flying domestically.

• AI’s environmental impact is small per query, but grows significantly when billions of people use it. Experts recommend using AI only when it adds real value and choosing smaller, less energy-intensive models for simple tasks and queries.