Cathay Pacific ripped out the first-class lounge cabanas. Gone. That tells you everything you need to know about where the high end of travel is actually going. It isn’t going up.
The architecture underneath matters more than the headine.
That’s the vibe in hotels, too. Andrew Langdon at Accor was on at Skift Asia Forum 26. He talked about generational shifts, yeah, but mostly about how mid-scale and economy spots are eating the market alive. Competition is rising. The fancy stuff is struggling.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary is talking again. He tied the fuel outlook straight to Trump’s midterm math. Nobody talks louder. Maybe nobody is more right. His Q&A was brutal. Honest, sure. But you had to read between the lines to get the real story on what’s coming for European aviation.
What comes after “Incredible India” anyway? Azerbaijan became India’s fastest outbound destination. No brand. No campaign. Just showed up and took the traffic. Should this kill the marketing budget debate? It should. Probably won’t.
People keep buying travel even when the branding is weak. That’s the weird truth nobody wants to admit.
Who do we have to thank for this?
- Accor signed the PSG deal again, but it’s about the 100+ partner loyalty engine now.
- Cathay dropped the cabanas, signaling a shift from ostentation to… what?
- Ryanair watches politics like a hawk.
