Expedia Group Has a New CEO

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, February 28. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel.

Breeze Airways is adding a new city — and state — to its growing route map. The Salt Lake City-based low-cost carrier unveiled plans Tuesday to launch service from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire, and with a handful of new routes.

Expedia is cutting nine percent of its workforce, about 1,500 jobs, as it begins preparing for a new CEO and a year with moderate revenue as air prices are predicted to drop. 

Expedia Group announced late Monday that it began notifying 1,500 employees that they would be laid off “in light of the Company’s organizational and technological transformation.”

Spirit Airlines is making it easier to get to Costa Rica thanks to a brand-new flight launching next month from Houston.

Airbnb has started to verify listings in five of its top global markets, but the process is much simpler for professional hosts than those with individual listings, according to requirements viewed by Skift.

Spirit Airlines is adding 10 new flights out of Boston-Logan, which can be looked at in two ways. It's a step back toward profitability for the airline, which many thought might go bankrupt in the wake of the ruling by the federal judge that blocked a merger with JetBlue Airways.

When my husband and I started toying with the idea of taking my teenagers on a whale-watching expedition cruise, we had no idea what to expect. While we’d cruised on several major cruise lines in the past, hopping on a 100-passenger ship run by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions felt far different than anything we’d done before.

With just weeks away until the first scheduled departure, Spirit Airlines is postponing flights to the brand new airport in Tulum, Mexico.  In October, the airline announced new routes to Tulum’s new Felipe Carrillo Puerto Airport but confirmed with Travel + Leisure on Friday thatSpirit will be postponing the start date of the flights indefinitely due to ongoing mechanical issues with engine parts.  “We are postponing the start date of our Tulum (TQO) service as we continue to manage operational constraints related to Pratt & Whitney GTF engine availability,” a representative from Spirit Airlines said in a statement to T+L.  The flights were originally set to takeoff from both Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport on March 28. “We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience, and we’re reaching out to those with impacted travel plans to offer alternate flight options or a refund,” a representative from Spirit shared with T+L. “We look forward to the opportunity to serve Tulum in the future and will share more once we have an updated schedule.” Spirit Airlines has faced headwinds with the repair and availability of the engine parts since August 2023.  «This new issue is yet another frustrating and disappointing development,» Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie said to investors, according to Reuters.  Spirit Airlines didn’t provide a timetable for when the Tulum flights could be restored, however company executives have discussed the engine service timeline during a recent earnings call.  “The timing of engine removals and aircraft being pulled through service is fluid,” Spirit Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President Matthew Klein said during the airline’s most recent earnings call.  Tulum's airport opened to domestic flights on December 1, 2023 when a Viva Aerobus flight landed to a special water cannon salute.

Expedia Group has pulled a Vrbo ad in Canada because its use of a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador folksong triggered a backlash.

On the back of its November acquisition of GamePlanner.AI, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said his company can create a new AI interface, and that it will help transform Airbnb into a “cross-vertical company” like Amazon or Apple.

Winter weather is back as a Nor’easter is underway, bringing one of the largest snowstorms of the season from the mid-Atlantic to New England — resulting in travel troubles for air passengers on Tuesday.