Patrick Whyte

The candid comments of the Accor CFO show just how difficult it is for hotel companies to compete with the big online travel agencies. You can't do it half-heartedly and AccorHotels will have to decide how much effort it is willing to put in to the initiative.

Investing in a range of new products to entice new and existing customers looks like it is paying off for American Airlines. Its upbeat outlook bodes well for the rest of the year.

Despite relinquishing his control, Richard Branson has been able to save face by negotiating the continuation of the Virgin Atlantic brand. At the same time a strengthened transatlantic joint venture means he'll have a better chance at competing with British Airways and its partners.

Under CEO Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook has quietly managed to turn itself around. The situation this year has undoubtedly been aided by an improving geopolitical climate but a more focussed, higher-quality product offering has also helped.

It's clear that AccorHotels needed to do something to turn Onefinestay around and by combining it with its other rental businesses it will at least be able to improve its reach. But at the same time one of the draws was the "handpicked" nature of the properties, which will surely be lost by increased scale.

Fares look like they are coming down in Europe and Ryanair, thanks to its low-cost base and multiple revenue streams, is in a better position than most to weather the storm.

Onefinestay is a nice idea but like so many other nice ideas it isn’t a profitable one, at least not yet. AccorHotels has a lot of work to do to turn the business around and justify the millions of dollars it has already spent.

While it's interesting to note Skyscanner's growth in hotels and car hire, commission from flight searches is still the source of most of its revenue. It seems likely that the company will look to take a bigger slice of the airline market rather than push too hard into other areas.

The best CEOs know when to quit and Carolyn McCall’s decision to jump ship at a pivotal time for UK airlines is perhaps a sign that there might be tough times ahead.

Premier Inn's proportion of direct bookings is pretty eye-opening, but the brand operates under a particular set of circumstances. If it decides to ramp up its international expansion, it will be interesting to see if it chooses to make more use of online travel agents.