Good Monday afternoon from Seattle . . . For those of you enjoying a long holiday weekend, Happy Labor Day. Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, August 29, 2025, is below. With the summer doldrums coming to an end, activity across the online industry has picked up starting with Booking.com’s newly
Google’s Government AI, NASA’s Record-Breaking Satellite and AI Coming to Drive-Thrus – News of Note for the Internet-Minded (8/28/25)
In this week’s News of Note, Google and the General Services Administration make a deal to bring Google Gemini to federal agencies, NASA and IBM create a “digital twin” of the Sun, and the largest satellite antenna in history gets launched into space. Elsewhere, plans have been announced to start issuing Department of Commerce statistics
Whose Rules Rule? Different Approaches to Key AI and Copyright Fair Use Principles Across the Administration, Copyright Office, and the Courts
In the past few months, the administration, the Copyright Office, and the courts have weighed in on several material issues at the cross section of copyright law and AI. The White House’s recent announcement of its AI Action Plan offers an opportunity to examine the interesting alignment and discord on key issues relating to fair
This Week in Travel: Pricing Probes, Expedia’s Strong Quarter, Southwest’s Distribution Shift and New Loyalty Perks
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, August 8, 2025, is below. For several weeks now, we’ve all seen and read the many headlines regarding American Airlines planned use of AI for rate setting. This week’s Update features several stories on the controversy, including a
Q2 Results, AI Strategy and New Legal Trouble Keep Spotlight on Booking Holdings
Good Sunday evening from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, August 1, 2025, is below. It was another slow week in the online travel world with Booking Holdings again capturing most of the industry’s headlines. Enjoy.
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- Booking Holdings Reports Strong Second Quarter. This past week Booking Holdings issued
Slower Summer Week, Big Travel Tech Moves: OpenAI’s Booking Agent and DirectBooker’s AI Play
With summer in full swing, it is no surprise that this past week was another slow week in the online travel industry. Our recommendation? Enjoy this week’s Update with a drink in hand by your pool or other favorite body of water. Enjoy:
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- OpenAI Launches Agent Mode. On Thursday this past week, OpenAI officially released
Approved NCAA v. House Settlement Leaves Open Ended Legal Questions
After five years of litigation and negotiations, an antitrust settlement between the NCAA, the Power Five Conferences (Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and ACC), and current and former Division I student-athletes has been approved by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. The landmark agreement reshapes the collegiate sports world as it completes the NCAA’s
Google's DMA Tightrope: Navigating Search Result Battles Between Intermediaries and Direct Sellers in Online Travel
Google captured most of the online travel industry’s headlines this past week as it seeks to “balance” the competing interests of regulators, on the one hand, and intermediaries and direct sellers, on the other hand. As long as traditional search maintains its outsized influence on online travel, the outcome of these discussions will have a
Trump Signs Reconciliation Package Restoring FCC Auction Authority
On July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), a reconciliation package that renews the FCC’s general spectrum auction authority until September 30, 2034. The legislation directs the FCC to auction 800 megahertz of spectrum and exempts the 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands from potential reallocation. Additionally, the final
Booking.com’s Ongoing Legal Battles, Alibaba’s Travel Restructuring & the Rise of AI in Hotel Visibility
Good Saturday evening from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, June 27, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features news of yet another claim being brought against Booking.com over its commercial practices and updates on Alibaba’s planned restructuring of its travel platform, Fliggy. Going forward, expect to see