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What’s Trending
01/ On Google
“Aviation in the United States” trended +600% this week, likely a result of the Microsoft outage that delayed flights this past week.
02/ With Media
This week, the media were interested in how travel brands can help travelers embrace minimalism in their travels, unique hotel turndown service amenities, and destinations that would make a good getaway from LA.
Google executives announced that they will not be getting rid of third-party cookies, reversing their major plans to phase out ad-trackers. This decision will help smaller travel advertisers that didn’t have the time or resources to invest in first-party data strategies.
03/ In the Zeitgeist
On Sunday, President Joe Biden withdrew from the upcoming presidential election. The president has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee.
The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony will take place on July 26th on parade floats in the Seine river instead of hosting the festivities in a stadium. This change is in attempt to “revolutionize the Games while remaining accessible to large audiences.”
Salt Lake City is hosting the Olympics again after the International Olympic Committee formally awarded the 2034 Winter Games to the United States bid. The city last hosted the games in 2002, preserving the venues for two decades in hopes of hosting again.
Industry Insights
Southwest Airlines is ending its longstanding open seating policy and will offer extra legroom seats next year to increase revenue. The airline will also begin overnight flights in February, though it will keep its two free checked bags policy.
Over 50,000 people took to the streets to protest against mass tourism on the island of Mallorca in Spain, calling for limits on tourist numbers because they believe the current model “impoverishes workers and enriches only a few.”
As airlines grapple with the fallout from the damaging IT outage, thousands of flights are still canceled and delayed, with Delta and United Airlines being hit the hardest with 821 and 379 cancellations so far. Travelers are being issued refunds or monetary compensation for these flights.
AllTrails, the popular hiking app that allows hikers to find information about popular and lesser-known trails and connect with community members, launched new updates that include curated hiking collections, park-specific pages, and updated trail pages that make the in-app experience more user-friendly.
IndiGo Airlines in India is allowing only female travelers to see the gender of the person sitting next to them to make women more comfortable, aligning with their #GirlPower ethos.
Uber is offering an automatic 10% discount on rides for passengers from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Orly Airport Aéroport de Paris (ORY) between July 22 through Sept. 8 for the Paris Olympics.
Disney is dropping some of its prices, including theme park tickets, resort hotels and food, to lure back customers who felt the prices were getting too expensive. The company is also revamping its waiting time system for select rides and attractions.
There has been an increase in unique hotel staffing positions to stand out and attract new guests. Some of these positions include chief flamingo officers, s’mores butlers, cactus caretakers, and more.
A section of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming will be closed for the rest of the season due to a hydrothermal explosion in Biscuit Basin, which could lead to more blasts. The explosion, which occurred around 10 a.m. Tuesday, caused no injuries but launched a geyser hundreds of feet high and sent grapefruit-sized rocks hundreds of feet away, destroying a boardwalk.
Meghan Trainor, the godmother of Royal Caribbean International’s new ship Utopia of the Seas, helped launch the ship during a three-night preview sailing ahead of its official debut, performing a ukulele rendition of her hit song, “All About That Bass.”
The Good
Baha Mar and ESPN Fantasy Football have partnered up to host the first ever ‘ESPN Fantasy Football Ultimate Draft Weekend.’ Events include a draft combine, making final picks in the resort’s grand ballroom, and draft analyses from ESPN experts.
American Airlines and its flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement in union contract talks to avoid a strike. The results significantly benefit them, providing immediate financial and quality-of-life improvements.
The Bad
The Transportation Department announced on Tuesday that it is investigating Delta Air Lines' handling of passengers after last week's IT outages caused the airline to cancel over 5,000 flights since Friday. This led to widespread disruptions, particularly at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
American Airlines' second quarter profits were down 46% due to a controversial direct selling strategy. This rollout received backlash from travel agencies and led to the departure of the company’s Chief Commercial Officer.
