Skift Take
Today's podcast looks at Iceland's volcanic eruption, Uber's simplified expense reporting, and major aircraft orders.
Key Points
- Iceland's recent volcanic eruption poses minimal risk to tourism; major areas and flights remain unaffected.
- Uber's partnership with Brex and Ramp automates receipt matching for business travelers, seeing strong corporate adoption.
- Lufthansa Group and EasyJet have placed large aircraft orders to modernize their fleets and improve fuel efficiency.
Summary
A recent volcanic eruption in Iceland has had minimal impact on tourism, with Reykjavik and other major areas remaining unaffected. Flights are operating normally, though some areas near the eruption site have been evacuated and the Blue Lagoon spa is temporarily closed. Additionally, Uber has partnered with Brex and Ramp to automate receipt matching for business travelers, and Lufthansa Group, along with EasyJet, has placed significant aircraft orders to modernize and expand their fleets.
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Episode Notes
A volcano in Iceland that erupted on Monday, December 18th, is not currently posing any direct danger to either residents or tourism, according to officials.
The capital of Reykjavik and much of the rest of the country remain unaffected, and major tour operators are still running trips as planned, writes Dawit Habtemariam, Skift’s global tourism reporter. Flights are operating through Keflavik International Airport on schedule.
Answering a list of frequently asked questions about the Icelandic volcano’s impact, Habtemariam said that the eruption has been shrinking. However, areas near the eruption, like the town of Grindavik, have been evacuated as a precaution. The nearby Blue Lagoon spa expects to stay closed through December 27th.
Next, Uber has partnered with expense management companies Brex and Ramp to automatically match Uber rides and Uber Eats meal receipts to corporate expense reports. This new integration eliminates the need for business travelers to manually submit receipts, writes Skift Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Uber stated that this automated receipt matching is seeing “strong adoption” from corporate clients so far.
The deal is part of a larger wave of companies attempting to streamline the business travel expense process for workers and travel managers.
Finally, Lufthansa Group has ordered aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing to modernize and expand its fleet. The group ordered 40 Airbus A220-300 jets. Lufthansa also ordered 40 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, marking the return of the 737 to Lufthansa’s fleet for the first time since 1995.
In a separate deal, EasyJet confirmed an order for 157 additional Airbus A320neo family aircraft to be delivered between 2029 and 2034.
The orders support both Lufthansa’s and EasyJet’s plans to make their fleets more fuel-efficient overall by replacing older jets with newer ones.
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Tags: adventure travel, airbus, boeing, easyjet, iceland, lufthansa, Lufthansa Group, skift podcast, uber, volcano
Photo credit: A helicopter image of Iceland's volcanic eruption on December 19, 2023. Source: Iceland's Meteorological Office.