On the Go – November 10, 2023

Industry News – Click on the title to read the full article. Many of the sources below require a free registration to gain access to the article. If a paid registration is required, the individual source will be noted.

Airlines

Delta Backs Minneapolis Terminal Renovations (Source: Star Tribune)
Delta Air Lines is contributing towards the $242 million project that will overhaul Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which said it would be the most significant upgrade since the terminal opened in 1962. As Delta continues to add more flights, it’s important to them to have a modernized terminal. Jeannine Ashworth, Delta’s vice president for airport operations at MSP said, “It’s the latest example of Delta’s ongoing work to modernize the terminal and elevate the travel experience for our Minneapolis customers.”

US Airlines Gear Up For Holiday Season (Source: Good Morning America)
With the holidays around the corner, experts predict nearly half of Americans plan to travel between Thanksgiving and the New Year. American Airlines estimated 500,000 more customers to fly compared to last year and is adding more flights for the winter. United is preparing for its busiest holiday travel season yet by adding about half a million seats and approximately 3,900 flights every day to ensure they’re ready for what’s to come.

Southwest CEO: Red-Eye Flights Are Coming (Source: Simple Flying)
Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said the airline plans to offer red-eye flights in the future in markets where overnight travel makes sense. “We have the aircraft, it’s a great way to use an asset that you already have and use it more productively which means more hours in the day,” Jordan said.

Hotels

Choice Hotels Remains Determined To Make Wyndham Acquisition Happen (Source: Travel Weekly)
Choice Hotels International remains confident that its efforts to acquire Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will be successful despite the opposition of Wyndham’s board, Choice president and CEO Patrick Pacious said Tuesday during the company’s Q3 earnings call.

Marriott: Q3 Corporate Growth ‘Slow And Steady,’ Higher Rates Next (Source: Business Travel News)
Marriott International’s third-quarter business transient revenue increased at a “slow and steady” year-over-year pace, executives said Thursday during an earnings call. Meanwhile, Marriott expects “to see another year of strong growth in our special corporate rate.”

Hyatt Q3 Corporate Demand Up As Transient, Group Lines Blur (Source: Business Travel News)
Hyatt Hotels Corp.’s third-quarter transient business travel revenue increased 19 percent year over year and has recovered to approximately 90 percent of 2019 levels, hotel executives said Thursday.

Ground Transportation

Avis Budget: Q3 Revenue Flat Despite Record Americas Volume (Source: Business Travel News)
Avis Budget Group reported record rental days, transactions and revenue for its Americas division during the third quarter, but revenue was roughly flat.

Leisure Travel

Las Vegas Sphere: Launch Costs Eclipse Revenues In High-Stakes Gamble (Source: Skift)
Las Vegas likes to gamble, and the opening of The Sphere arena in September was certainly a gamble for its operator. Fresh data shared on Wednesday highlighted the risks and potential rewards.  Five years in the making, the $2.3 billion marvel stands 366 feet tall and opened with Irish rock band U2 bringing the world’s largest 16K high-resolution LED screen to life