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Travelers want convenience and tech

📅 On Nov 6, 2024, IATA's Global Passenger Survey revealed that 68% of passengers prioritize airport proximity, 71% prefer online/mobile bookings, and 79% favor credit/debit cards. Digital wallets are preferred by 20%, and IATA Pay saw a 3% increase. Convenience is the top reason for payment choice at 70%. Full report available on IATA's website.
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Sabre describes itself as a ‘different company today’

🏨 On Nov 6, 2024, travel and hospitality sectors saw gains, with Travel Solutions revenue up by 3% to $691 million, and Distribution revenue increasing by 5% to $551 million. IT Solutions, however, dipped by 5%, falling to $140 million. Hospitality Solutions rose to $84 million, a $5 million increase, with central reservation system transactions contributing $35 million, up 2%.
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Amex GBT’s two-pronged strategy

💳 American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) sees a 9% increase in transaction volume and 5% revenue growth year-over-year in Q3 2024. Secured $3 billion in new business up to September 30, with two-thirds coming from small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers. Global multinationals experienced an 8% transaction growth, while SMBs had a 2% increase, highlighting the vast potential for Amex GBT in the SMB sector.
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Ryanair’s OTA war has left it wounded

✈️ Ryanair's conflict with OTAs led to a 10% drop in average fares to €52 year-over-year in the first half of 2024. By late 2023, Booking.com, Expedia, and Kayak had stopped listing its flights. The airline's misjudgment of OTA user loyalty forced fare reductions to fill seats. Ryanair subsequently formed "approved partnerships" with most OTAs, resolving disputes and reinstating flight listings on OTA platforms.
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BCD encourages business travelers to travel less and better

🌱 BCD launched a first-of-its-kind travel sustainability offering on Nov 5, 2024, to integrate sustainability into travel management. It enables setting and monitoring sustainability goals, influencing traveler behavior through active nudging and steering tools within booking, and implementing carbon taxes at the point of sale. The tool also calculates the carbon impact of travel options, providing transparent carbon data for air, rail, hotel, and ground travel.
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What Google’s cookie reversal means for travel

🌍 On Nov 5, 2024, Google paused its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome, impacting travel advertisers. This move, driven by privacy concerns and regulatory pressure, signals a shift towards first-party data and contextual advertising. Travel brands are advised to invest in diverse, privacy-focused strategies amid the ongoing digital landscape evolution. Despite Google balancing regulator and advertiser interests, reliance on third-party cookies is not seen as a long-term solution.
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Sabre Hospitality launches SynXis Insights

📅 On Nov 5, 2024, SynXis Insights was introduced, delivering hoteliers a comprehensive view of reservation data with daily updates. It offers 15+ filtering options for performance metrics comparison, developed in partnership with Google, utilizing Google Cloud's analytics tools. The tool consolidates data from various sources including SynXis Booking Engine, Voice Agent, GDS, and OTAs, featuring six dashboards for in-depth analysis. Designed to reduce manual effort and improve revenue strategies, it empowers property and chain-level administrators. Full story at Sabre Hospitality.
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Travel Tuesday is real – and growing

💰 Travel Tuesday, a day for deals on travel-related purchases, gains momentum with search interest projected to surge over 500% from 2021 to 2023 according to McKinsey & Company. Originating in November 2017, the term saw a decline during the pandemic but experienced a significant rebound in North America, Western Europe, and Australia in 2022 and 2023. The trend, strongest in American and Canadian markets, also shows growth in Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain.
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Expedia Chair Diller says deal with Uber ‘not going to happen’

🛫 On Nov 5, 2024, Expedia Chairman Barry Diller confirmed to CNBC that a potential acquisition of Seattle-based Expedia Group by Uber, rumored last month by the *Financial Times*, will not occur. Despite acknowledging the sensible aspect of an Uber-Expedia "industrial combination," Diller, who also chairs IAC and holds enough voting shares to block deals, envisions Expedia's significant growth independently.
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