Latest news with #DaveLevinthal
Skift
a day ago
- Business
- Skift
Boeing's Political Cash, Bhutan's Crypto Tourism and U.S. Flight Spending
For Friday's podcast we count up Boeing's lobbying dollars, look at Bhutan's crypto push, and add up flight bookings in the U.S. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, June 20. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Even before last week's Air India crash brought renewed scrutiny to Boeing's safety practices, the company had been ramping up its political spending in Washington, writes Contributor Dave Levinthal. During the first five months of 2025, Boeing's federal PAC distributed nearly $1 million among almost 300 political committees. These include the campaigns of dozens of members of Congress. The company, a major federal defense contractor in addition to its status as a civil aviation behemoth, also maintains a large force of D.C. lobbyists. Since 2008, Boeing has spent at least $11.9 million annually on federal lobbying efforts. In recent years, Boeing has faced heavy criticism for its corporate safety culture, with federal lawmakers hauling top executives before their congressional committees multiple times. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Bhutan has launched the world's first nationwide crypto-based tourism payment system, writes Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia. Partnering with crypto payment unit Binance Pay, and DK Bank, Bhutan now lets visitors pay for nearly everything in cryptocurrency — from visa fees and flights to local handicrafts and fruit at a roadside stall. This marks the first time a nation has integrated cryptocurrency payments across its entire tourism economy. The system works with Binance Pay and travelers can pay in more than 100 cryptocurrencies. DK Bank, the country's first fully digital, state-owned bank, converts payments instantly into Bhutan's local currency. For businesses, especially those in rural areas, the new system allows access to a global payment network, without the need for international banking links or expensive card terminals. Finally, U.S. flight sales through travel agencies are down overall, but online agencies have shown gains throughout the year, reports executive editor Dennis Schaal. Sales through OTAs rose 8% in May while those through traditional leisure agencies dropped 5%, and corporate travel agencies saw an 8% decline. has been expanding its flights business and now outsells Expedia, according to Skift Research.
Skift
06-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Hotels Vs. Booking.com, Travel and Politics and AI Chauffeurs
Today's podcast looks at the ongoing conflict between Booking and hotels, the seven travel-related U.S. congressional projects, and the AI plans of the U.S. largest biz travel limo service. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, June 6. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Hotels have long complained about contract terms related to pricing, and their effort to earn financial compensation appears to be gaining momentum, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. Twenty-six national hotel associations recently argued that rate parity clauses prevented them from offering lower rates on their own websites or rival platforms than what they charged on between 2004 and 2024. dropped the clauses last year in Europe. Martin notes some hotel industry leaders believe their chances of winning damages have improved due to recent court decisions. A court last September rejected argument that rate parity clauses were essential business practices exempt from competition law. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Contributor Dave Levinthal takes a look at seven bills Congress is discussing that would impact the travel industry. Levinthal notes the Senate is looking at a bipartisan measure that would require pricing transparency for hotels and short-term rentals. Another bipartisan bill, the No Tax on Tips Act, would establish a new income tax deduction of up to $25,000 for tips. If it becomes law, the act stands to increase the net pay of hotel employees and airport workers. Levinthal also highlights the Traveler Privacy Protection Act of 2025, which aims to limit the use of facial recognition technology in airports. Finally, the new CEO of chauffeured services company Carey is betting on AI to revive the company against competition from rideshare rivals and the looming threat of self-driving cars, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. Alex Mirza told Skift his plans to transform Carey from what's been called a 'brand for just special occasions' into a service that can compete for younger customers and everyday executive travel. Carey plans to launch a tech platform that will use algorithms to match customers with specific chauffeurs based on passenger profiles and trip purposes. Mirza said the platform would be like 'the Airbnb superhost concept on steroids,' where customers could see and choose their preferred drivers rather than simply booking a car.
Skift
21-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Google's New AI Mode, Congress' Favorite Travel Stocks, and Hotels.com's AI Planner
For today's pod we look at some really big AI announcements by Google and a smaller one by We also look at the stocks members of the U.S. congress are trading. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, May 21. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Google unveiled a series of travel-related AI upgrades at its developer conference on Tuesday, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. Dawes reports the upgrades include plans for smart glasses with tools for live voice translation and a connection to Google Maps for real-time navigation. The big Search upgrade comes through AI Mode, which Google made widely available to users in the U.S. on Tuesday. The company said AI Mode is more advanced, meaning that users can perform complicated searches in one go. Google added that its new 'agentic' search capability should enable AI Mode to complete searches across multiple websites on the user's behalf. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, members of Congress are not only helping shape the travel industry, some of them are investing in it. More than three dozen lawmakers and their spouses have traded stocks in travel companies, writes Contributor Dave Levinthal. Federal lawmakers and their spouses have made close to 600 individual travel industry-related stock trades since the 2021-2022 congressional session. That's according to a Skift analysis of congressional financial records. Levinthal notes the purchases and sales of shares are worth well into the millions of dollars. Booking Holdings, Marriott, and Airbnb are the three most frequently traded travel stocks by members of Congress and their spouses. Finally, has unveiled a new chatbot trip planner, and Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes explains how it works. The app got a smart filter meant to allow users to sort property searches with preferences, like a rooftop bar. The app is simple to use, but we also uncovered several errors. Another issue: Since the app doesn't sell flights or experiences, those can't be added to the itinerary.
