Here are three of the most common questions our answer engine Ask Skift 2.0 was presented recently and a brief summary of the responses he provided.
What are the new costs and advantages for credit cards from United Airlines and membership in Lounge?
United Airlines announced an increase in costs for its credit cards and Salon subscriptions last monthWho, according to society, would make its cards more precious for its customers. Here are the changes of costs that United implemented alongside his banking partner Jpmorgan Chase:
- The annual fees of the United Explorer card increased from $ 95 to $ 150.
- The annual fees of the United Quest card has increased from $ 250 to $ 350.
- The annual fees of the United Club card increased from $ 525 to $ 695.
A United credit card offers advantages for holders such as Free Instacart memberships and carpooling credits. And with regard to its Lounge United Club network, passengers without elite status now pay $ 750 for individual subscriptions.
How does consumer confidence influence travel reservations?
The data of a survey published in March 2025 by the Conference Board indicated, Despite a fourth consecutive month of falling consumer confidenceAn increase in consumers who plan to spend more on a trip and on vacation.
Skift reported in April that the leaders of travel technology have seen the first signs of weakening the request for travelwhich is closely linked to the fluctuations in consumer confidence and economic uncertainty.
Lighthouse, a company that followed the data from the hotel market, recently said a 3 to 5% drop in prices for average hotels in the main American destinations over a period of 30 days, CEO Sean Fitzpatrick noting that he followed continuous decrease revisions for summer reservations. Mews founder Richard Valtr also said that he had seen the first signs of weakened summer reservations.
The leaders of Hostaway and Guesty, two companies which both provide operations technology to short -term rental managers, believe that an economic tension can Encourage Americans to choose cheaper domestic trips Instead of international trips.
Note: the Institute of the Bank of America said These travel and tourism expenses were down in February and March.
How does Google use AI in travel research and planning?
Google Unveiled two travel tools fed by AI last month: Hotel price alerts and functionality to transform screenshots into travel plans.
Alerts are an expansion of a tool on Google flights, and they allow users to follow the prices of hotels in specific areas and receive notifications when prices drop. The functionality also allows users to define preferences according to criteria such as dates and hotel brands.
Meanwhile, Google Maps – Using Gemini AI – automatically records the places mentioned in the screenshots to help users plan travel. The user may approve these elements and view them later.
Google has also recently deployed features on Gemini That said could help travelers during travel planning. Gemini updates include features that allow AI to connect with Google Apps. For example, Gemini can now use photos of a recent trip to develop a travel route based on the premises visited, or offer recommendations for restaurants based on previous research related to food.
The GEMS tool allows users to store personalized chatbots in the Gemini chat library. The user can ask the chatbot to focus on a specific subject – like a trip to the Bermuda – because the user asks questions.
Aside from the Gemini AI search engine, Google has experienced the integration of generative AI into traditional research. Since 2024, a summary generated by the AI called the IA overview has appeared at the top of certain research results. The company earlier this month began to publicly test the IA mode as an expansion of this tool. AI mode is displayed as a tab in search results alongside other tabs, such as images.
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