Industry Insider tips

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is encouraging the hospitality industry to support the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act today with an industry-wide Tax Day of Action to prompt the Senate to support the bill. 

A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), representing over 1,000 qualified air traffic controller applicants who were allegedly discriminated against based solely on their race.

For well over a year, my organization, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), has tried to thwart American Airlines’ abusive attempt to force AA fliers and travel agencies to use its underdeveloped technology, the New Distribution Capability (NDC) booking platform.

Airports aren’t exactly a place where you’re expecting to have the time of your life, but running into a staff member who clearly loves their job and interacting with the public can turn a hassle-filled travel journey into a far more palatable experience. Conversely, come across an employee who is in a sour mood can make things feel infinitely more frustrating.

Delta Air Lines announced plans to begin testing a New Distribution Capability (NDC) process with several of the carrier’s key partners later in 2024.

Marriott International, Inc. announced plans to grow its portfolio in Europe through nearly 100 conversions and adaptive reuse projects by the end of 2026, which represent over 40 percent of its overall European development pipeline. 

Yet another Boeing aircraft has encountered mechanical issues while flying passengers, this time on a Southwest Airlines flight from Denver to Houston in the morning of April 7. 

Spirit Airlines and Airbus have agreed to defer all its aircraft expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026 to 2030-2031 as the airline seeks to improve its financial position following its failed merger with JetBlue. 

Heathrow Airport, the biggest airport serving London, England and a major international hub, is asking the British government to continue its current airport slot usage guidelines and regulations, something that, if changed, could shake up the airport’s international connectivity. 

The U.S. Travel Association revealed a sneak peek of the return its Daily Getaways program, which is set to officially launch on April 15.

February air ticket sales totaled a record $8.9 billion in February for U.S. travel agencies, a figure that is 6 percent higher the same time last year.This February’s staggering air ticket sales also represent the second straight month that agency sales hit such highs, according to Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC).“Americans continue to prioritize domestic travel in the early part of the year, with year-over-year trips to U.S. destinations outpacing those of international trips,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC, said in a statement. “Airlines are seeing robust demand from both corporate and leisure travelers, signaling the continued health and anticipated growth in air travel for 2024.”February ancillary sales increased 34 percent year over year to $29 million, while ancillary transactions increased 47 percent to 476,633 over the same period.The ticket sales results are based on monthly sales data ending February 29, 2024, according to ARC.The information was gathered from 10,367 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations, satellite ticket printing offices and online travel agencies. The results, however, do not include sales of tickets purchased directly from airlines.Additional highlights from the latest ARC report include:

Egypt is a land of ancient wonders and incredible culture, and it’s quickly becoming a popular destination for travelers of all kinds — check out new developments, quick figures and some important information on traveling to Egypt this year. 

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ Women Own the Room initiative, which helps current and prospective women hotel owners break down historic barriers to hotel ownership, has celebrated fifteen hotel openings and over 50 signings in a little over two years. 

Travel advisors weighed in on the ramifications of Gogo Vacations and American Queen Voyages shuttering their doors, along with the termination of the JetBlue-Spirit merger, noting that nothing is off the table in the post-pandemic era.

Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Niki Rakowitz, founder of Visionary CARE Travel and CT Signature Collection.

Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Becky Smith, owner of Becky’s Travel Biz Inc in Gainesville, Ga.

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. 

Unlike many in the hospitality and tourism space, who spend their career working solely in one particular facet of the business, I have been fortunate and have been able to change verticals several times. At ICON Park, it was attractions and restaurants; at Universal Parks, it was resort hotels and theme parks; as a board member at the Grand Canyon Resort, I helped promote an area of extreme natural wonder.

Marriott International, Inc. saw a record year of global signings in 2023, with 52 percent more rooms signed from 2022 and a net room growth of 4.7 percent, signaling the pandemic’s trend of slow development is at its end. 

In 2023, Hilton opened 132 hotels with around 24,000 rooms between October and December 2023, the largest number of new rooms opened during any quarter in the hotel giant’s history, and it expects to continue that positive growth into 2024. 

Crystal, the luxury cruise line owned by A&K Travel Group, has become a preferred supplier of the travel agency consortium, Ensemble, which has travel agents in both the U.S. and Canada.