Dennis Schaal Archives

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.

Online Travel

Expedia Collaborates With Hotels to Counter Negative Guest Reviews

It is interesting that Expedia touts the new feedback tool for hoteliers as a way to discourage negative reviews instead of as a means for improving customer service. There is something wrong with the juxtaposition.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Airlines

JetBlue’s Impending Bag Fees May Already Be Hurting Its Brand Reputation

JetBlue's looming change in its bag-fee policy likely will create a larger controversy than when Southwest revamped its loyalty program a few years ago. JetBlue undoubtedly has run the numbers and figures it will come out ahead. It would be prudent to get the war room and phone banks ready, though.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

TripAdvisor Chairman on Relationship With Expedia: It’s Complicated

It's has to be a comeuppance for Expedia to see its offspring, TripAdvisor, turn into such a formidable frenemy. On the other hand, Expedia shareholders made plenty of money off the TripAdvisor spinoff and are laughing all the way to the bank.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

SkiftX

15 Largest Public Travel Companies of 2014: U.S. Airlines Spark Growth

What is this world coming to when airline stocks are actually an attractive investment? The biggest airlines got a helluva lot bigger in 2014, setting the pace for growth among the largest publicly traded travel companies on the planet.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

SkiftX

TripAdvisor Goes on a Dining Reservations Binge With Acquisition of Iens

TripAdvisor wants to establish itself as the leading restaurant reservations platform in Europe before OpenTable gets around to showing up in earnest.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

SkiftX

China’s Ctrip Acquires UK Aggregator Travelfusion

The acquisition should help Ctrip on both the airline and hotel sides of the technology equation.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

Interview With Hidden City Startup Founder: Is He Naive or an Innovator?

Skiplagged founder Aktarer Zaman identified a problem -- the seeming arbitrary nature of airfares -- and attacked it. Now United and Orbitz may eat him for lunch.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

Marriott Wi-Fi Jamming Plans Resoundingly Opposed by the Public

Marriott is claiming that its plans are misunderstood and that it merely seeks permission from the FCC to jam others' Wi-Fi in its conference rooms only. But travelers are telling the FCC that they don't want to be reliant on hotel Wi-Fi in conference rooms and other areas of the hotel.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

The Real Story Behind Orbitz and United Suing the Hidden Cities Startup Guy

Skiplagged's hidden-city practices are screwing up Orbitz's relationships with airlines so that's one reason for the lawsuit. Another factor is that startup founder Aktarer Zaman has been outsmarting his adversaries at every turn.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Media and PR

Travel Booking Sites Spent $624 Million on TV Advertising in 2014

While the Trivago Guy's love-him-or-hate him TV ads garnered a lot of media attention in 2014, it was the Expedia brand that really kicked butt on TV.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago