Uber + Expedia, Japan’s Record and Cathay’s New Suite

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 18, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

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Episode Notes

Uber has explored buying the Expedia Group, according to a report this week in the Financial Times. It’s all speculation at this point, but the deal, if it were to happen, would bring about the biggest shakeup the travel industry has seen in years. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes answers 10 questions about it. 

Dawes notes there are currently no active discussions between the two companies. But an acquisition would bring Uber closer to becoming a superapp, a single app with multiple services, including transport, social media and food delivery.    

However, Dawes adds there would be many roadblocks standing in the way of any deal between Uber and Expedia. 

Even if it was just a trial balloon, the news raises other possibilities: Expedia, a big brand with a depressed stock price, could attract other potential acquirers or activist investors. 

Next, foreign visitor spending in Japan in the first nine months of 2024 topped the full-year record set last year, writes Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia. 

International tourists spent roughly $39 billion between January and September, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. That amount is $4 billion more than the previous full-year record. Japan welcomed close to 27 million foreign visitors during the first three quarters of the year. 

Finally, Cathay Pacific recently unveiled the Aria Suite, its new business class cabin. Airlines Editor Gordon Smith provides information about arguably the industry’s most anticipated new business class product. 

Smith writes the Aria Suite isn’t exactly a game changer but it’s a solid product that hits all the right notes. It features a sliding privacy door, wireless charging and a 24-inch monitor. Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific’s head of customer experience and design, said the new-age tech in the suite is almost invisible on purpose. Lo added the airline was looking to create “a cocoon oasis of personal space.” 

The first Aria-equipped jet will enter passenger service on Friday between Hong Kong and Beijing. 

For more travel stories and deep dives into the latest trends, head to skift.com.