December 10, 2025
Self-Driving Competes with Air, Luxury Bubble Grows, Travelers Drink Less
Skift Daily Travel BriefingAbout this episode
Skift’s 2026 Megatrends are here — and today’s Daily Briefing zooms in on three that are already reshaping traveler behavior: self-driving cars that quietly compete with planes, a luxury bubble that’s becoming the industry’s load-bearing wall, and a new wave of sober-curious travelers redefining what “vacation mode” looks like. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down how autonomous vehicles unlock productive travel time, why luxury demand is propping up entire sectors, and what hotels and cruise lines need to understand about guests who are drinking less — but still seeking elevated experiences. This episode is brought to you by Amazon! To learn more, go to advertising.amazon.com Articles Referenced: Alaska Airlines Leans on Hawaiian For Global Expansion Southwest Airlines Exec Defends Changes, Says Network Is a ‘Huge Differentiator’ Marriott CFO: Year-End Softness, Sonder Lessons, and 2026 Rebound Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IG Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.