- 32 minutes 56 secondsTravel’s AI Problem Is Bigger Than Most Companies Realize
Sarah Kopit and Adriana Lee break down why the travel industry may not actually be ready for AI despite the rush to adopt it.
They explore fragmented hotel data systems, why travelers still do not trust AI booking tools, and how companies are starting to optimize not just for customers — but for AI agents themselves.
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00:00 AI Readiness Reality Check
00:48 Meet Adriana Lee: The Guest Co-Host
02:34 Hotels Data Fragmentation
03:40 Why Only Two Percent
06:18 Trust Guarantees and Risk
08:15 AI Search Fails in Practice
10:34 Mews and SiteMinder Integration
13:35 Business to Agent Era
21:00 Expedia Explore Takeaways
21:54 Top AI Operators Insights
27:06 Winners Losers and Wrap
29 May 2026, 8:00 am - 36 minutes 53 secondsAirbnb Is Becoming a Real OTA
Sarah Kopit reports live from Airbnb’s Summer Release event in San Francisco as Brian Chesky unveils Airbnb’s expansion into hotels, car rentals, services, and experiences.
Sarah and Seth Borko break down why Airbnb increasingly looks like a full-service OTA, what Expedia’s latest acquisition says about the future of travel commerce, and how AI, creators, and social shopping are reshaping travel discovery.Connect with Skift
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00:00 Two Events Same Day
02:27 Airbnb Summer Release Highlights
03:48 Scaling Experiences and Services
05:43 Hotels Expansion Strategy
08:21 Selling Out Debate
10:43 AI Enhancements Not Hype
13:19 Conference Vibes and WiFi
14:41 Cars and OTA Convergence
16:51 Expedia CarTrawler Scoop
19:06 Car Rental Realities
20:41 Mexico Rental Stories
23:46 CarTrawler Deal Math
25:46 Airbnb Versus OTAs
27:24 Winners And Losers
29:20 Proper Hotel Design Wins
31:22 Luxury Hotel Little Things
32:36 Luxury Travel Shifts
33:53 Chasing Brian Chesky
34:26 Wrap Up And Goodbye
22 May 2026, 8:00 am - 44 minutes 34 secondsAmerica’s Travel Problem Is Getting Worse
International travel to the U.S. fell another 14% as America’s tourism challenges continue ahead of the World Cup.
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the growing perception problem facing the U.S., the pressure hotel owners are feeling from major brands, and why TikTok may become a major player in travel booking and discovery.Connect with Skift
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00:00 Inbound Tourism Slump
02:52 Is America Safe
05:33 Why Visitors Stay Away
08:07 World Cup Reality Check
09:38 Market Breakdown Canada EU Asia
11:50 China Trip Visa Talk
14:03 Hotel Owners Squeezed
17:47 Comment Cesspool Debate
20:14 Are Brands the Villains
22:32 Brands Aren’t Self-Correcting
24:32 AI Will Cull Hotel Brands
26:13 TikTok Shop Meets Travel
28:08 Why Experiences Sell First
29:40 Survey Data on Social Booking
31:08 Creators Close the Funnel
34:25 Live Streaming Travel Commerce
35:51 Winners and Losers Segment
36:03 Liberty Game Marketing Win
38:33 Hantavirus Cruise Panic
40:57 Ending on Women’s Sports
42:00 Wrap Up and Sign Off
15 May 2026, 8:00 am - 15 minutes 9 secondsTrump's Tourism Envoy: Inside Nick Adams' Plan to Sell America
America has never had the equivalent of a tourism minister — until now.
In March, President Trump created the role of Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values, and handed it to Nick Adams: conservative commentator, self-styled "alpha male," and the loudest pitchman U.S. travel has ever had.
In this special edition of the Skift Travel Podcast, Gordon Smith sits down with Adams for one of his first extended interviews in the role. They cover the operational push behind the 2026 World Cup, mounting concerns over transit pricing and visa wait times, and the "fake narratives" Adams says are distorting global perceptions of the U.S.
Adams also lays out his ambitious goal of 100 million international visitors by 2030, and explains what "American exceptionalism" looks like through a tourism lens.
It's a candid conversation with one of the most outspoken voices in U.S. travel — and a central question hanging over it all: is the world ready to buy what Nick Adams is selling?Connect with Skift
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13 May 2026, 3:09 pm - 33 minutes 58 secondsSpirit Airlines Collapsed. What Happens to Budget Travel Now?
Spirit Airlines is shutting down after years of financial struggles, failed merger attempts, and rising costs.
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down what killed Spirit, what it means for budget travel in the U.S., and why Skift Research found that travelers don’t necessarily return to destinations simply because they loved them.Connect with Skift
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00:00 Spirit Goes Dark
02:09 Bag Fees and Cheap Fares
02:41 A Rare US Airline Collapse
03:39 LaGuardia Marine Terminal Fallout
04:50 What Killed Spirit
05:37 DOJ Merger Block and Bailout Debate
10:48 Low Cost Model Under Pressure
14:26 Who Wins Next JetBlue
15:39 New Report Destination Loyalty
17:12 Why Loyalty Is Hard
17:40 Survey Chart Surprise
19:04 What Drives Returns
19:32 Family Comfort Factor
20:37 Jumpstart Vacation Mode
22:42 Strategy For Destinations
25:15 Repeat Travel Examples
29:02 Winners And Losers
30:22 Pop Culture Pivot
33:22 Wrap Up And Goodbye8 May 2026, 8:00 am - 46 minutes 25 secondsThe Fight for Control of Online Travel Has Started
OTAs still dominate travel booking, but pressure is building from AI, banks, and global disruption.
Seth Borko and Dennis Schaal break down Booking’s earnings, the Capital One–Hopper deal, and what it all means for the future of online travel.Connect with Skift
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00:00 Six Million Room Nights
01:05 Meet Dennis Schaal
02:42 Booking Earnings Breakdown
05:26 US Share Gains
06:23 Brand Strategy Debate
08:35 Genius Loyalty Power
10:20 Airbnb Loyalty Questions
13:02 Connected Trip Expansion
15:58 Glen Fogel Insight
17:03 AI Disruption Debate
19:44 OTA Marketing Arbitrage
21:38 Skift Path to Purchase
22:41 Search Phase Shift
22:57 AI Enters Decision
24:08 Trust and Intermediaries
25:16 Customer Service Reality
27:29 Capital One Buys Hopper Tech
28:50 Hopper and B2B Arms Race
31:14 B2B OTAs vs GDS
33:26 Expedia CFO Shakeup
36:29 Airbnb Services Debate
40:04 OTAs Still Dominate Booking
43:44 Winners Losers and Lessons
1 May 2026, 8:00 am - 37 minutes 11 secondsHow TV and AI Are Reshaping Travel Demand
TV is driving travel demand. AI is reshaping how people search.
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down how culture and technology are changing who controls visibility, demand, and bookings in travel.Connect with Skift
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01:10 Prestige TV Confessions
01:28 HBO at Hotel Conferences
03:09 White Lotus Tourism Effect
06:59 Season Four Location Scoop
09:57 Hyatt Unbound Soft Brands
12:24 Fan Mail Hotelier Squeeze
14:45 AI Search Visibility Shock
18:46 AI Citations Study
20:28 Why Aggregators Win
21:06 Brands Need Answers
23:07 Do Travelers Want Rankings
24:38 Chart of the Week
27:06 Trust and Accuracy
29:02 Research vs Booking
31:00 Winners and Losers
34:08 Wrap Up and Farewell
24 April 2026, 8:00 am - 38 minutes 8 secondsThe Crisis Crushing America’s Hotel Owners
Hotel brands are winning while owners face rising costs and softer demand.
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the growing pressure on hotel owners and what it means for the future of the franchise model.Presented by Viasat Ads. Click here to learn more!
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Timestamps:
00:00 Tax Day By Numbers
02:05 Refunds And Reality
04:34 Filing Jointly Milestone
05:15 Behind The Big Feature
07:29 Hotel Owners In Crisis
11:16 Costs Squeezing Operators
15:17 Fees Brands Take Off Top
17:21 Asset Light Winners Losers
18:26 Franchise Model Breaking Point
19:41 Do Brands Earn Fees
20:11 Tech Enables Independence
21:47 Why Brands Still Matter
23:49 PIPs And Brand Standards
26:07 Asset Light Versus Owners
29:25 World Cup Hotel Stress Test
31:42 Swiss Cheese Risk Stack
33:06 Winners Losers And Wrap
17 April 2026, 8:00 am - 42 minutes 55 secondsWhy Flights Stay Cheap While Travel Costs Rise
Flights are cheap. Hotels are expensive.
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the economic forces driving up travel costs — and what it means for travelers, hotel owners, and the future of the industry.Presented by Viasat Ads. Click here to learn more!
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01:40 Why Labor Costs Rise
03:06 Artemis Moon Mission
04:23 Sci Fi and Space Evolution
06:51 Sam Altman Profile
13:10 Cost Disease Explained
18:57 Travel as Social Antidote
20:47 Hotels Get Unaffordable
21:43 Overtourism and Cheap Flights
22:32 Why Flights Stay Cheap
23:47 Airline Efficiency Revolution
24:52 Hotels Lag Behind
25:49 Labor Crunch Reality
28:17 Fixing Hotels Like Airlines
31:37 Owners Squeezed Hard
32:33 Cost Levers Breakdown
35:13 Hyatt Tackles Distribution
39:54 Winners Losers Wrap
10 April 2026, 8:00 am - 40 minutes 36 secondsWhat’s Really Changing Inside the Airline Industry
Airline leadership shakeups, alliance shifts, and AI-driven discovery are all hitting travel at once.
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down what these changes mean for how the industry operates — and how travelers choose where to go.Presented by Viasat Ads. Click here to learn more!
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00:00 Airline Drama Teaser
01:18 England Trip Banter
01:45 Brummy Accent Storytime
03:29 Air Canada Language Fallout
07:07 Flag Carriers And Politics
09:10 Willie Walsh Joins IndiGo
13:43 ITA Airways To Star Alliance
15:08 April Fools News Pitfalls
17:41 Hotels Lose Discovery Window
19:45 AI Disrupts Travel Discovery
20:50 AI Discovery Black Box
21:36 Experience First Search
22:26 AI Shelf Space Shrinks
23:55 Funnel Flips To Experiences
26:10 Hotels Build Surface Area
27:13 Ads And Monetization
29:45 Live Translation Breakthrough
33:13 Travel Friction And Language
36:12 Winners And Losers
37:48 Airlines Week Wrap
3 April 2026, 8:00 am - 32 minutes 59 seconds3-Hour Airport Lines and a System Under Pressure
Three-hour airport lines. TSA agents not showing up. Ground stops at major airports. All in the same week. In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit is joined by Skift Managing Editor Lex Haris to unpack what may be the clearest signal yet that the U.S. travel system is under real strain. They break down how a partial government shutdown is impacting TSA staffing, why some airports are seeing massive wait times while others are operating normally, and how unpredictable the experience has become for travelers. The conversation goes beyond the headlines to explore what happens when multiple pressures hit the system at once — record spring break demand, staffing shortages, operational incidents, and ongoing political uncertainty. They also examine the business side: why some airlines like United say they’re well positioned to weather the chaos, while others may struggle if conditions worsen. And with global events and international travel sentiment in the mix, the ripple effects could extend far beyond U.S. airports. At its core, this episode asks a simple question: Is this just a rough week for travel — or a sign of something bigger? Presented by Viasat Ads. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry. 01:01 Monday Meltdown Recap 01:54 Why Airports Are Jammed 05:34 Is Aviation Broken 09:15 TSA Staffing Fallout 13:46 Business Impact On Travel 14:16 United And Delta Flex 15:35 Buy The Whole Row 18:39 Hotels War And World Cup 21:37 New DHS Boss Spotlight 23:51 Shutdown Predictions 26:51 Winners And Losers 30:14 Wrap Up And Goodbye
27 March 2026, 8:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App