FCC Rules Hotel Wi-Fi Blocking Is Illegal and Subject to Penalties
The FCC couldn't have more forcefully rejected the hotel industry's efforts to block Wi-Fi hotspots at meetings, conventions or anywhere else.
Dennis Schaal is Skift’s Founding Editor and Executive Editor. Dennis has been a reporter focusing on online travel and short-term rentals for more than two decades at Skift, Tnooz, USA Today, and Travel Weekly. He is well-known for tough one-on-one interviews on stage at Skift events, including with the CEOs and top execs of Expedia, Uber, Booking Holdings, Priceline, Kayak, Hopper, and more.
eDreams Shuffles CEOs and Appoints Philip Wolf as Chairman
When your stock price falls to around one euro per share, as eDreams Odigeo's did last year, then even the company's founder has to make an exit.
What Happens to the Travelocity Brand Under Expedia Ownership?
The Roaming Gnome himself whispers to us that he is very happy about the Expedia acquisition of Travelocity. It was touch and go under Sabre ownership for such a long time as Sabre, with priorities elsewhere, totally bungled ownership of Travelocity and Lastminute.com.
Delta Wins Wi-Fi Bragging Rights Among U.S. Major Airlines
Outfitting aircraft with Wi-Fi is part of the battle. As Routehappy points out, the quality is still lacking with fewer than one percent of flights in the U.S. equipped with Wi-Fi that has the bandwidth to stream video.
Expedia Acquires Travelocity for $280 Million
Expedia is expected to retain the Travelocity brand. It would be foolish not to because the whole value proposition is to tap into the allegiances of Travelocity loyalists. And that leaves Orbitz out in the cold. It is unable to achieve scale and Expedia and the Priceline Group are apparently not interested in scooping Orbitz up.
United’s Seat Squeeze Equals 14 Additional Aircraft
U.S. airlines, including United, are finally making sustained profits and they are scrambling to reward shareholders. Employees, such as Delta's, who participate in profit-sharing plans will benefit but there is only lip-service being directed at benefiting another important stakeholder -- passengers. Too bad.
Delta Flexes Muscle in Renewed American Express Agreement
Co-branded deals between airlines and credit card companies have become a lot more competitive of late and when it comes to the latest pact between American Express and Delta, the airline is just loving the boost to its ancillary revenue.
Delta’s Fuel Costs Keep Dropping, But Its Airfares Are Staying the Same
Delta is certainly feeling its oats these days with a windfall from the drop in fuel prices and its top-performing stock. No need right now to make any concessions on fares or to pay lip service to distribution through online travel agencies.
Orbitz Gives In, Hires Bankers to Find a Buyer
Orbitz Worldwide is putting itself up for sale, and the leak to Bloomberg may be a signal that the bidding hasn't been particularly robust to date.
Marriott Bows to Pressure on Wi-Fi Blocking But There’s Lots of Wiggle Room
Marriott's customers resoundingly told the chain not to mess with their personal Wi-Fi devices and Marriott had little choice but to concede this battle. Other chains will likely feel the heat, as well. Still the war isn't over and the FCC will ultimately have much to say about where all of this is headed.