Skift live tips

There is a pilot shortage in the airline industry, but that’s no problem for Connect Airlines. 

Global business events are critical drivers of financial gain for destinations. They impact regional development in the short and long term, and their influence has profound political impacts. In addition, they generate predictable revenue and attract desirable business tourism. However, despite all the benefits, not all destinations can develop successful global event strategies. 

Delta Air Lines has been directing more investment at enhancing what its customers experience at airports, and it relies on customer sentiment surveys to guide its progress.

Jude Bricker, CEO of Sun Country Airlines, said it’s premature to reach definite conclusions regarding the airline industry seven months into its recovery, especially pertaining to business travel’s ongoing rebound.

Linda Jojo, chief customer officer for United Airlines, described a slew of ways the major airline is changing the customer experience during the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas. 

Josh D’Amaro, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman, could become the next CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano took the stage at Skift Global Forum in September 2022 to discuss what the hotel giant had accomplished in 2022 and where it was headed in the coming year

Sun Country Airlines CEO Jude Bricker believes it’s premature to draw firm conclusions about the emergence of new travel patterns seven months into the travel industry’s recovery. But Bricker said at the recent Skift Aviation Forum that surging airfares are changing travelers’ behaviors, including driving more consumers to fly on Tuesdays instead of the weekend.

As 2022 comes to a close and we look ahead to 2023 as an industry, it is an important time for travel as we launch our first Skift Global Forum East December 13-15 at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. 

The Middle East’s almost year-long summer is its competitive advantage when attracting the European market. However, the region would do well to add more beachfront properties and curate experiences beyond its Uber-luxury eccentricities.

Delta Air Lines is striving to boost its customer satisfaction scores, and the effort is led by Allison Ausband, executive vice president and chief customer experience officer. Ausband oversees about 60,000 workers in Delta’s airport customer service, in-flight service, and reservations and customer care divisions.

Join us online on Tuesday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET as Skift presents its most popular event, Megatrends, welcoming over 1,000 attendees tuning in globally through our online conference platform.

A job opening for a hotel wanting an “organic chef” or someone who can handle “procurement and environmental, social, and corporate governance,” underlines the importance of sustainability as a value proposition helping them with talent acquisition and retention.

Steven Udvar-Házy, the co-founder and executive chairman of lessor Air Lease Corporation, believes the airline industry will likely see more consolidation, especially in Europe. Udvar-Házy said at the recent Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas that while he doubts the continent’s low-cost carriers will be involved in any mergers, he sees Italy’s ITA and TAP Air Portugal as takeover targets.  

We are officially one week out for the first-ever in-person Skift Global Forum East, where travel leaders from across the region will be gathering at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre in Dubai on December 13-15.

Sean Donohue, the CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, has seen his airport make a significant rebound from the pandemic, becoming the world’s No. 2 in terms of passenger count.

Aisha Al Mansoori, the first female pilot at Etihad Airways, is in luck. The airline will re-introduce her favorite plane, the superjumbo Airbus A380, next summer as travel demand continues to rebound.

As the 2022 FIFA World Cup draws to a close, Qatar plans to capitalize on the global event’s publicity, visitation numbers and supporting infrastructure as a an opportunity to put the country on the map as a competitive tourist destination moving forward. 

U.S. startups have honed the process of failing fast and learning through minimal viable product adaption — a lesson the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) funding ecosystem should leverage.

Dubai will play an outsized role in the United Arab Emirates aim to attract 40 million visitors annually by 2031, so what can it do to improve its tourism industry? Four panelists — Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths, Kerzner International CEO Philippe Zuber, Emirates Airline Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim, and Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing CEO Issam Kazim — discussed at the recent Skift Global Forum East in Dubai what local tourism officials need to do to continue to attract visitors.

Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta considers himself amazed at level of growth he’s seen in the Middle East’s hotel industry during his roughly 40-year career. Nassetta described the commitment officials in the region have made to travel and tourism as extraordinary during his appearance at the recent Skift Global Forum East in Dubai, adding he views Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as markets for significant growth.