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US airlines see increase in premium seating demand

(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

US airlines have significantly increased premium seating this year, with overall premium seat capacity on domestic routes rising 14% compared with 2019, compared with 4% for economy, data from Visual Approach Analytics shows. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines have each increased premium seats by more than 20%. American and JetBlue also continue to add premium seats, and Southwest has announced the carrier will introduce premium seating to its cabins in 2025. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian notes that the trend is driven by millennials' willingness to spend on luxury travel.

 Full Story: Simple Flying (12/25) 

Domestic travel to NYC surges with visitors from US cities New York City welcomed 64.3 million visitors in 2024, reaching 97% of pre-pandemic levels, according to a report from New York City Tourism + Conventions. Domestic travelers primarily came from Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston and Los Angeles, while the UK led international visits. The tourism sector generated $79 billion for the local economy, including $51 billion in direct spending, and supported 388,000 jobs. Record number of Americans travel for holidays A record-breaking 119 million Americans are traveling this holiday season, according to AAA. This surge includes 2.3 million Marylanders, contributing to the busiest holiday travel period on record. Full Story: CBS News (12/24)  United Airlines leverages generative AI United Airlines has integrated generative AI into operations, launching models like United ChatGPT for employees and "Every Flight Has a Story" for customers, which has improved satisfaction by 6 percent. "We worked hard to fine-tune this model to take operational feeds, notes from our operations teams, the crew and all these different sources of data, and have AI take all this data and create a narrative that is more transparent, empathetic,  Top travel trends for 2025 (Pixabay) Travel in 2025 is set to be dynamic, with 80% of US adults planning vacations and trends such as solo female travel, slow travel and luxury adventure to remote destinations gaining traction. Experts highlight a shift toward meaningful experiences, with older women leading solo travel and younger travelers embracing group adventures.  Full Story: TravelPulse (12/25)  Survey reveals luxury travel trends and preferences for 2024 The Kinglike survey, which polled 158,000 high-net-worth individuals worldwide, revealed key insights into luxury travel preferences. Notably, luxury train tours are favored by 24% of respondents, while sustainability influences 36.2% of booking decisions. Unique experiences and luxury accommodations are also significant motivators.  Full Story: The Manual (12/25)  Predictions for the US hotel industry US hotels are expected to see modest average daily rate growth of 1.6% in 2025, lagging behind a projected 2.6% inflation rate, according to Jan Freitag, CoStar's national director for hospitality market analytics. Small meetings are likely to continue driving revenue for full-service hotels, Freitag predicts, and the number of hotels with average daily rates surpassing $1,000 is expected to rise.  Full Story: CoStar Group (12/16) $200M Cannon Beach resort, surf park coming to Texas city The city of McKinney, Texas, is partnering with developers to build Cannon Beach, a $200 million surfing and beach-themed resort. The resort will feature a 4-acre surf lagoon, entertainment spaces, hotel and dining with construction to begin next year.  Full Story: KXAS-TV (Dallas-Fort Worth) (12/13)