Travel Industry Earnings Coverage

Don't rule out the little players. Small and medium-sized businesses are largely back on the road, and that's helping lift Hilton's profit margins.

United CEO Scott Kirby warns travelers to beware what airline they are booking on after his carrier's successful Covid-19 vaccine staff mandate. But for all his boasting, more than half of United's domestic flights are flown by airlines that have no such mandate.

Argentina-based Despegar has broadened its geographic reach through acquisitions, and that has enabled the company to boast that seasonality factor has been eliminated from the business. While that statement is a stretch, it will be great for the company to take advantage of Mexico summers while Brazil winters.

While you have to toss out Covid-ravaged 2020 as any kind of a barometer for a company's trajectory, during the last two-and-a-half years, Airbnb has only made a profit during its third quarters. If remote working becomes entrenched in coming years, then that can indeed help with Airbnb's seasonality issues.

Airbnb is indeed showing strength, but is its hubris about leading the travel recovery a bit overblown?

Perhaps you spent the pandemic moving house, baking bread, or home-schooling your kids. Tripadvisor spent the crisis tweaking its product mix to sell more subscriptions while also refreshing its mobile app. Mad props to everyone for making the most of things.

After shutting down or selling eight businesses — some of which were relatively inconsequential — since the beginning of 2020, Expedia Group doesn't expect any more such asset dispositions as part of its drive to make the company simpler and more focused. But selling brands may turn out to be the easiest part of the exercise.

Profitability is one thing, but out-performing 2019 is the genuine sign of a rebound. Choice Hotels is lucky to not have to worry as much about corporate travel and conventions as some of its competitors.

Booking.com is a one-trick pony, but it's quite a trick. The brand shines at selling hotel stays online. Yet parent company Booking Holdings wants the brand to succeed at cross-selling all types of travel post-pandemic. That will be trickier.