Updated: March 17, 2026
Skift Take
The travel industry edited Covid into a convenient story about resilient demand while ignoring the system’s fragility. We’re seeing the cost of that rewrite in real time.
Share
The Middle East airspace that connects two-thirds of the world’s population went dark last week. More than 49,000 of 92,000 scheduled flights were canceled. Dubai International, the busiest international airport on earth, operated at a fraction of capacity. Governments chartered evacuation flights. Hundreds of thousands of people were stuck in Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Atlanta, and everywhere in between.
And on airline and OTA websites, a message that could have been copied and pasted from March 2020: *Due to heavy customer service volumes, please only contact us if you are traveling within the next 48 hours.*
That notice tells you everything the industry has learned — and hasn’t learned — since the last time its systems broke.
Here’s the story the travel industry told itself after Covid: it was a demand shock — a terrible one — but demand came back. And r
Up Next
New Research: Why All-Inclusive Travel Is Having a Moment
All-inclusive vacations are becoming more popular with travelers, who are seeking highly personalized experiences and a wide range of activities that maximize their travel investments. New data proves that this is more than a trend.
Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection + Skift | 4 days ago
Sponsored
United and Marriott Pitch Ad Strategies to Target Travelers on Plane and Hotel Screens
Marriott and United are pitching companies to place ads on their hotel and airline ad networks, citing BCG research that travelers spend impulsively while traveling.
Sean O’Neill and Meghna Maharishi | 13 hours ago
Donations for Unpaid TSA Agents, Growing Lines: The Shutdown Hits U.S. Airports
Many airports are continuing to see long lines and wait times at security as TSA agents missed their first full paycheck during the partial shutdown.
Meghna Maharishi | 14 hours ago
UK Hotels Bounce Back, But London and Budget Offerings Underperform
A stronger second half helped the UK hotel market recover in 2025, but London lagged, and rising costs mean many operators are still struggling to grow profits.
Luke Martin | 15 hours ago
MakeMyTrip Eyes an IPO in India
MakeMyTrip has long been seen as a likely candidate for an India listing, but the company had never explicitly said so. Its latest filing finally puts that possibility on record, signaling that India’s booming capital markets may soon attract one of the country’s biggest travel platforms back home.
Peden Doma Bhutia | 17 hours ago
