Latest news with #SkiftTravel200
Skift
29-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
United and JetBlue Launch Partnership: 'Blue Sky' to Link Loyalty Programs
Putting an end to months of industry speculation, United and JetBlue confirm that they're linking loyalty programs. What could come next? United Airlines and JetBlue Airways are entering a partnership. In a joint statement on Thursday morning, the carriers unveiled plans to bring their loyalty programs closer together. The arrangement will allow customers from both carriers to earn and burn frequent-flier miles. As part of the deal, JetBlue will also provide United access to slots at New York JFK for up to seven daily round-trip flights. These will operate from Terminal 6 and start 'as early as 2027.' In what the companies describe as a 'net-neutral exchange,' JetBlue and United will trade eight flight timings at Newark. Many elements of the proposed deal remain subject to regulatory review. A Widely Expected Move Since a federal judge struck down JetBlue's Northeast Alliance with American Airlines in 2023, the New York-based carrier has been eager to start a new domestic partnership. In April, JetBlue President Marty St. George told analysts during a call that the company was expecting to make an announcement on a domestic partnership in the coming weeks. St. George said one of the major benefits of such a partnership was the network connectivity. 'If you are a customer in the Northeast and you love JetBlue for leisure, but twice a year, you have to go to Omaha or Boise, these are places that you can't earn TrueBlue points on now. And when this partnership goes forward, you will be able to," St. George said. United said in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission in January that it was not in any talks with other airlines about a merger. This is a breaking story that will be updated. What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
Skift
16-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
15 Hours Nonstop: Charlotte Gets Its First Ultra Long-Haul Route
Etihad's bet on Charlotte underscores a broader strategy: using Abu Dhabi's growing hub status, and its unique U.S. Pre-Clearance advantage, to build traffic beyond traditional gateways. North Carolina is getting its first ultra long-haul route. On Friday, Etihad Airways announced plans to connect its Abu Dhabi hub with Charlotte. Four flights a week are due to begin on May 4, 2026. The service will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with business and economy class cabins. The widebody aircraft is built in North Charleston in neighboring South Carolina. The UAE national carrier will be the first Middle Eastern airline to serve Charlotte nonstop. Boston, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. are already on the Etihad network map, with Atlanta due to join on July 2. Described by Etihad as 'one of America's most dynamic financial and cultural hubs,' the airline's entry to the market supercharges the city's connectivity. However, despite being one of the country's busiest airports, it has only a handful of long-haul routes. These include American Airlines to London Heathrow and Lufthansa's link to Munich. With a journey time of 15 hours westbound, and just under 14 hours on the return to Abu Dhabi, it will easily become Charlotte's longest nonstop flight. The Power of Pre-Clearance Given the limited market for point-to-point traffic between the cities, Etihad will be relying upon connecting passengers through its new home at Abu Dhabi International Airport to make a success of the new route. The schedule has been optimized to leverage this transit traffic. Early morning departures from the UAE and midday return flights from the U.S. are designed for smooth connections. In a recent interview with Airline Weekly, Etihad chief revenue and commercial officer Arik De discussed the commercial opportunities afforded by U.S. Pre-Clearance in Abu Dhabi. The city's airport is unique in the region by offering passengers flying to the United States the ability to clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the UAE, effectively arriving in America as a domestic passenger. Speaking on Friday, Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad CEO, said the addition of Charlotte represented 'a strategic addition' to the airline's network. However, the carrier might not have Charlotte to itself for long. Last year, Turkish Airlines chairman Ahmet Bolat reportedly named Charlotte as a possible target for U.S. expansion. What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
Skift
15-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Archer Aviation to Provide Air Taxi Service for 2028 LA Olympics
After air taxis failed to take off for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Archer is optimistic that it can successfully scale services for 2028. Archer Aviation announced Thursday that it will provide air taxi services for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and for Team USA. The company said its network plans for Los Angeles already include key venues for the Games, such as the Stadium in Inglewood and the University of Southern California's Coliseum. Archer added that it plans to operate in major areas for visitors, such as Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood, Orange County, and Santa Monica. The air taxi service will transport spectators and athletes, and will also be available to support emergency services and security. Archer is still going through the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration. Archer chief commercial officer Nikhil Goel told Skift that the company expects to receive FAA certification in 2026. Recently, Archer announced that it is building an air taxi network in the New York area as part of a partnership with United Airlines. Archer is slated to operate flying taxis in Abu Dhabi this year. Skift reported last month that investors are pouring billions into eVTOLs, short for electric vertical takeoff and landing. See: Flying Cars and Supersonic Jets: Silicon Valley's New Arms Race. A Test for Archer Given the regulatory hurdles, the Olympics could be an important test for Archer. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, flying taxi startup Volocopter failed to get regulatory approval and the service was met with intense pushback from local officials. Volocopter ended up filing for bankruptcy last year. Goel said local officials in Los Angeles had been supportive of Archer's plans even before discussions for the Olympics. Archer already has partnerships with SoFi Stadium and USC. 'We've been working with LA officials for a long time thinking about how you go integrate urban air mobility in LA,' he said. Goel added that he believed the Paris Olympics were too early to launch air taxi service. He said he expects that Archer will have the infrastructure in place to accommodate such a large scale event by 2028. 'We have always been targeting 2028 because it lines up with our flight test schedule, and it lines up with the certification schedule with the FAA,' Goel said. 'We felt like 2028 was a good year where we can confidently be at scale.' What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
Skift
05-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
JetBlue Sells Venture Capital Arm in Bid to Boost Profitability
JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said selling off the company's venture capital arm would allow it to 'focus on our core operations.' JetBlue announced Monday that it sold its venture capital subsidiary to Sky Leasing, an asset management company that specializes in leasing aircraft. The details of the transaction were not disclosed. JetBlue said it would continue to serve as a strategic partner to JetBlue Ventures and its portfolio companies. The venture capital arm will also get to keep the name JetBlue Ventures as part of a brand licensing agreement with the New York-based carrier. Some of JetBlue Ventures portfolio companies include flying taxi company Joby and airline retail platform Flyr. Amy Burr, the CEO of JetBlue Ventures, will continue in the top post. JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said in a statement that the transaction would allow the company to 'focus on our core operations.' JetBlue Looks for Other Opportunities The sale comes as JetBlue has been struggling to maintain profitability since the collapse of both the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines and the Spirit Airlines merger. The carrier had an underwhelming first quarter where it reported a net loss of $208 million as domestic demand weakened. JetBlue's share price has also dropped significantly, fueling speculation that it could become a target for an acquisition. Currently, the carrier is reported to be in talks with United Airlines about a domestic partnership. Neither JetBlue nor United have confirmed that they are negotiating a partnership. JetBlue executives said during an earnings call April 29 that they were expecting to make an announcement on a partnership during the second quarter. JetBlue president Marty St. George said during the call that such a partnership would provide customers with greater connectivity. 'If you are a customer in the Northeast and you love JetBlue for leisure, but twice a year, you have to go to Omaha or Boise, these are places that you can't earn TrueBlue points on now. And when this partnership goes forward, you will be able to," St. George said. Watch Marty St. George at the Skift Aviation Forum 2024: Recorded November 2024 What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sabre to Sell Hotel Reservations Platform for $1.1 Billion
The private equity arm of TPG will acquire Sabre's hospitality solutions business for $1.1 billion in cash, the companies said Monday. "This divestiture positions Sabre to focus on our core airline IT and travel marketplace platforms," said Kurt Ekert, president and CEO of Sabre, the Texas-based travel technology provider, which will now mainly provide airlines with software and services. Out of the $1.1. billion, Sabre expects to receive about $960 million in net proceeds after taxes and fees. Sabre said it would use most of that for debt reduction. Sabre's Hospitality Solutions unit evolved from Sabre's 2005 acquisition of SynXis, a central reservations systems that hotels use to collect and process bookings via their websites and apps. The division provides software and solutions to dozens of hotel brands, representing about 5 million hotel rooms at last publicized count, including hotels affiliated with Hyatt, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Preferred Hotel Group. The software-as-a-service platform allows hotels to manage room inventory, rates, and reservations from hotel websites and apps, but also through third parties like online travel agencies. Companies with products that have overlapping services include Amadeus, Oracle, Vertical Booking CRS, SHR's Windsurfer, and Accor's D-Edge. Skift reported last September that sources said Sabre was seeking buyers for the hospitality solutions unit, though the company declined to comment at the time. In 2022, Skift reported Sabre had begun to prep the unit for sale. Sabre's overall recovery from the pandemic has depended heavily on one of its highest margin segments, business travel by large corporations, which has been slow to recover. That has made it difficult for the company to pay down debts. It had $4.49 million in debt as of the end of December, but it had generated only $326 million in revenue last year. This unit sale should help Sabre focus on its core business of providing global distribution and passenger system services to airlines. For the deal, Evercore serves as Sabre's financial advisor, while William Blair advises TPG. The companies expect the deal to close by September, subject to regulatory approval. What am I looking at? The performance of travel tech stocks within the ST 200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including both online travel booking companies and B2B travel tech companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more travel tech financial sector performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200. Get breaking travel news and exclusive hotel, airline, and tourism research and insights at Sign in to access your portfolio
