Travel

Despite rising prices, demand for travel continues to grow after years of pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions. Our research team takes a look at loyalty program users by generation and how to keep them booking.

On today's episode, we discuss if Twitter is actually getting worse, whether folks will want to become "Meta Verified," what it looks like to digitally insert yourself as a player into a live basketball game, whether Airbnb's recent performance is reflective of the overall travel market, what paid family leave looks like in the US and in different countries, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, and analyst Max Willens.

Inflation hasn’t made a dent in travel demand: Airbnb, Marriott, and United all reported strong Q4 earnings despite higher prices for airfare and lodging.

Can airborne 5G networks fill connectivity gaps? A new antenna technology can deliver 5G coverage from high-flying aircraft, showing the versatility of mobile networks in areas terrestrial networks can’t cover.

Massive outage was due to human error: Unintentionally deleted files caused 7,000 flight delays in the US. Upgrades are necessary but could cost billions of dollars and take time to implement.

Airbus demonstrates planes that land themselves: Autonomous flight systems like Airbus’ DragonFly can serve as assistive technology, helping pilots and crews in the short term as wider adoption paves the way to fully autonomous flight.

Unprecedented airline outage: A computer outage canceled hundreds and delayed thousands of US flights, exposing the high cost of reliance on outdated technology and overburdened networks.

Hong Kong’s November retail sales fell unexpectedly as COVID-19 controls loosened: Pent-up demand for travel and difficult economic conditions are driving a shift in consumer spending.

Travel industry poised to keep climbing in 2023: Though inflation and the chance of a recession could cause some turbulence, pent-up demand will buoy airlines and hotels.

Holiday travel demand was already low, but it just got lower: Domestic travel looks to slow significantly this season due to higher airline ticket prices.

Airbnb doesn’t need performance marketing: The company’s shift away from search in 2019 has helped, but not everyone can replicate it.

Don’t be fooled by strong airline earnings: Travel interest is on the decline, which will contribute to lower ad spend from airlines at the end of the year.

About a third of US adults said they will definitely travel this holiday season, and another quarter said it’s likely.

Younger consumers tighten budgets and rely on rewards programs to splurge on leisure activities.

Inflation drives high-income consumers to trade down—and up: Affluent shoppers are spending more at Walmart and Aldi, but a strong dollar is keeping luxury demand robust.

Flying taxis could get you to the airport by 2024: Delta Airlines is teaming up with Joby Aviation to offer flying taxi service, but safety regulations for flying EVs could take longer than their road counterparts.