Booking Holdings

On today's pod we explain why Spirit is irked by Frontier, why Ryanair is friendly with Booking, and why flight attendants don't want to work for free.

The most dominant players have kept their lead, but regional leaders like Trip.com and MakeMyTrip are increasingly challenging global incumbents.

Priceline is the second online travel agency to partner with Southwest as the carrier looks to widen its distribution channels amid major shifts in its business model.

For this Friday episode, we look at Google's new partnership with Amadeus and its resilience in the face of AI (so far). We also preview new Skift Research about AI and changing traveler habits.

The long-term attractiveness of Google Search is still an open question. Booking and others have long looked to diversify their marketing channels, and now they are starting to have real choices.

Booking Holdings sees many Americans remaining cautious about travel. The good news: It has less U.S. exposure than rivals Expedia and Airbnb.

Booking.com sees growing its flights business as a strategic priority. An eTraveli deal may still be on its agenda if it can get the courts to overturn a competition decision.

AI is here to stay in the travel industry, but for now it’s as an assistant, not a replacement. Travel has too many moving parts, so when things go wrong, or a big trip is on the line, travelers still tend to trust a specialist.

Today’s podcast looks at the ongoing conflict between Booking and hotels, the seven travel-related U.S. congressional projects, and the AI plans of the U.S. largest biz travel limo service.

What began as a German court case is rapidly becoming an effort by hotels across Europe to seek financial damages from Booking.com’s for two decades of pricing practices.