United’s Higher Fares Can’t Keep Up With Soaring Fuel Costs

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. AI is forcing travel companies to make difficult choices about technology and customer relationships. Meanwhile, the industry’s commercial priorities are becoming harder to reconcile. Hospitality brands are pursuing premium demand while facing questions about affordability, travel companies are experimenting with new revenue models, and growing uncertainty is exposing weaknesses in the industry’s response to disruption.

American Express and Airbnb on Thursday launched an exclusive partnership that lets U. S. card members search more than one million Airbnb listings from a new Homes tab on AmexTravel.com and in the Amex Travel App, and earn up to 5X membership rewards points on prepaid stays. This is Airbnb’s most integrated loyalty partnership to date, and largest step toward becoming a lodging supplier. The tie-up goes further than the airline loyalty deals Airbnb has run for a decade with Qantas, Delta and British Airways, which mostly amount to a tracked link that sends members to Airbnb.com.

American Airlines once again changed its profit outlook for 2026, forecasting a loss for the year, as fuel costs soar. The carrier is anticipating earnings per share in 2026 to range between a loss of $1.60 and a loss of $1. In July, American had also cut its profit outlook, but was expecting earnings per share at that time to be between a loss of 65 cents and a profit of 65 cents. Earlier in the year, American was forecasting it would roughly break even.

Photo Credit: Meta is working out the business model for its Muse AI agent — and travel is one of its priorities.  Courtesy of Meta On Meta's third-quarter earnings call Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg spotlighted travel's significance for the Muse AI agent, and he made it clear that he's weighing business models to tap into that value — potentially across the Meta ecosystem.

Photo Credit: A room at the Yotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre that's expected to open early next year. Yotel Yotel is developing new hotel formats as it aims to grow from about 24 properties to 100 by 2031, with a more upscale take on its compact rooms and a smaller city-center hotel modeled on its airport-focused YotelAir brand. Asia is a growing priority.

Southwest Airlines is cutting its profit outlook for 2026 as it anticipates paying as much as $4.55 a gallon for jet fuel in the fourth quarter. The carrier now expects adjusted earnings per share this year to range between $2.60 and $2.85. Previously, Southwest forecasted adjusted earnings of $4 and had held off on changing guidance for much of the year due to the volatility of fuel prices.