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.

Hotels

Skift Q&A: Trivago Co-Founder on Why It Doesn’t Really Need Expedia

Malte Siewert of Trivago has a mantra that's a characteristic of many successful companies: Test things out, yes, but make quick decisions and get things done. He's happy about the Expedia acquisition, but Trivago is apparently creating its own destiny.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Online Travel

Expedia Can’t Expect Google’s Immediate Forgiveness in Paid Links Escapade

Expedia has long argued that Google wields inordinate power, and now it is feeling Google's wrath. There will be a financial impact, and perhaps a bit of a brand hit, but this injury is far from fatal.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Airlines

American Airlines Antitrust Settlement Cost Sabre $222 Million

Neither American Airlines nor Sabre got exactly what they wanted in their protracted lawsuits, but Sabre was clearly the loser. American didn't obtain an edict that the global distribution industry is an anticompetitive monopoly, but it forced Sabre to cease its hostile acts and picked up a $200 million settlement in the bargain.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Online Travel

Did Google Spank Expedia For Operating A Paid Links Scheme With Bloggers?

These are explosive allegations that Expedia is involved in a paid links scheme with travel bloggers and that frenemy Google retaliated. Stay tuned for more fireworks.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Online Travel

Report: The Cellphone Is Underrated as a Travel Inspiration Tool

Tablets are trendy and we love them, but mobile phones are in consumers' pockets, pocketbooks, hands or just a few feet away, and travelers are using them to dream of their romantic getaway in Tahiti (or Namibia).

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Airlines

American Express Plans to Open More Airport Lounges

The American Express-American Airlines airport lounge deal was a victim of airline consolidation. There's little need to partner with an airline, though, if Amex can build its own lounges at the airports. It's a work in progress, and we'll see how the experiment works out.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Hotels

Skift Q&A: Kayak CEO on Why Metasearch Competitors Can’t Keep Up

Steve Hafner acknowledges that flight ticket purchasing on Kayak still "sucks." He candidly admits that Kayak is taking some design inspiration from the Airbnb website, which he says balances exploration and transactions without overwhelming the user.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Airlines

Public Comments Oppose In-Flight Phone Calls As a ‘Horror Beyond Imagination’

There are so few comments on the FCC site in favor of in-flight phone calls that it is obvious that supporters have been too busy conducting very important business and otherwise shooting the breeze on their smartphones to actually weigh in. Hold on.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Airlines

What Google’s Partnership With Ryanair Really Means to the Future of Booking

Is Google on the cusp of destroying Skyscanner, Kayak and Expedia in one fell swoop? We've heard that kind of hyperbole before, and few obituaries have been written. That being said, it would seem premature for Google to swap out Google Flight Search for something new when the product is so young.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago

Airlines

Budget Airline Norwegian Is Looking To Hire American Pilots

Whether it is under duress or not, Norwegian Air is bringing some pilot and other crew member jobs to the U.S. How this impacts the airline's low-cost, long-haul model remains to be seen.

Dennis Schaal | 12 years ago