Skift Travel News Blog

Commercial space company Axiom Space has announced an unconventional partnership with Italian fashion house Prada, that will see the two companies join forces to design the spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III mission. 

The 2025 mission marks two significant milestones, as not only will it be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972, but it will also mark the first time a female astronaut will step foot on the Moon.

According to a release from Axiom Space, engineers at Prada will work alongside their team on the design process for the spacesuits to develop ‘solutions for materials and design features to protect against the unique challenge of space and the lunar environment’. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. 

“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits.”

As luxury brand partnerships become commonplace across the travel industry, the question now is: will private travelers soon be donning Prada spacesuits for commercial space journeys?

Booking.com hasn’t announced a deal to launch a co-branded credit card in the U.S., but a LinkedIn post Tuesday by a relatively new employee and a job opening for “manager, co-branded credit card growth & strategy,” provided grist for speculation.

In the LinkedIn post, Jonathan Rossman, whose position is listed as “co-brand credit card at Booking.com,” said he’s hiring team members and asked people to reach out if they are “interested in helping to build and grow a unique and differentiated cobrand product” at Booking.com.

Rossman, who has been at Booking.com for nine months, according to his LinkedIn profile, did previous stints at JPMorgan Chase, American Express, and British Airways.

He linked to a Booking.com job posting for manager, co-branded credit card growth and strategy, which the company described as “a new role being created to launch and manage Booking.com’s upcoming co-branded credit card in the US, a top priority market for the company.”

Booking.com tried its hand at travel inspiration. Source: Booking.com

Booking.com has been pushing for the past few years to get stronger in the U.S. It will need a partner for a co-branded credit card and it’s unclear who it will be.

One possibility? Booking.com kicked off an important partnership with Citi last month when the Amsterdam-based online travel agency and sister brand Rocket Travel began powering a newly launched Citi travel site for cardholders, CNBC reported. Booking provides flights, accommodations, rental cars, and tours and activities for the portal.

Etihad Airways has released a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the filming of its skydiving orchestra.

The original video, which was created as part of the carrier’s partnership with Paramount Pictures to celebrate the premiere of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, saw an orchestra fall from 13,000 feet at 120mph whilst playing the Mission Impossible theme song.

The campaign was released across Etihad Airways’ social media platforms in July, which you can take a look at below:

To complete the stunt, Etihad Airways and their advertising agency Impact BBDO had to ‘do the impossible’ – find talented musicians who are also skilled skydivers.

But following weeks of planning and preparation, custom rigging was created for each instrument to ensure the skydiving orchestra could safely play and pull their parachute when the time came, and a professional skydiving cinematographer jumped with them each time to capture it all.

Each member of the orchestra was tasked with learning their piece of music by heart, which they needed to be able to recite perfectly despite the unconventional conditions.

You can take a look at the behind-the-scenes footage from the Etihad Airways YouTube below:

Low-cost Mexican airline Volaris has unveiled its new ‘Barbie Aircraft’ across its social media platforms. 

The Airbus A320neo, which sees the usual Volaris livery transformed with Barbie’s iconic pink color and features Margot Robbie as the title character on the aircraft’s fuselage, has been revealed in anticipation of the upcoming Barbie movie.

The collaboration between Volaris and Warner Bros. Pictures is the latest in a long line of brand partnerships and experiences that have been announced ahead of the release of the movie, which we have recently reported on here.

At Skift, we are looking to unearth the most creative and forward-thinking innovations in travel through our Skift Ideas Franchise, which includes the Skift IDEA Awards, Skift Editorial Hub and the Skift Ideas Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.

Puente Romano Beach Resort in Marbella, Spain has teamed up with Italian luxury fashion brand Fendi to transform its Chiringuito Beach Club into the ‘Fendi for Puente Romano Beach Club’.

The beach club, which is adorned with Bali beds, beach chairs, cabanas, cushions and textiles in the signature colors and patterns of the fashion house, is now open daily until September 2023.

Alongside the beach club, the resort is also hosting a pop-up Fendi store which will present key items from the Maison’s new collection. 

This is yet another example of the growing trend of luxury fashion houses joining forces with resorts for summer collaborations, as previously highlighted with the collaboration between Palazzo Avino and Valentino.

At Skift, we are looking to unearth the most creative and forward-thinking innovations in travel through our Skift Ideas Franchise, which includes the Skift IDEA Awards, Skift Editorial Hub and the Skift Ideas Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. and Nobu Hotel Atlanta have partnered on a new Porsche inspired guest experience.

Located just north of Porsche’s U.S. headquarters, the Hotel and the luxury car manufacturer have collaborated on the Porsche Experience, which includes a stay in one of two newly designed rooms featuring Porsche-inspired art and decor alongside exclusive memorabilia.

Additionally, the hotel has introduced a Porsche themed conference room for guests looking to host business meetings during their stay, and for those looking to explore the city, there is the opportunity use one of the property’s all-electric Porsche Taycan house cars.

Take a look at the recently released promo video below, featuring Chef Nobu:

“At the heart of every Nobu Hotels’ collaboration is a desire to thoughtfully curate compelling experiences that enhance our guest journey,” said Rachael Palumbo, VP global hotel branding at Nobu Hospitality.

“With 75 years’ worth of brand excellence to its name, Porsche’s reputation as an automotive legend complements our global vision of delivering the highest level of luxury hospitality at an intimate level.”

At Skift, we are looking to unearth the most creative and forward-thinking innovations in travel through our Skift Ideas Franchise, which includes the Skift IDEA Awards, Skift Editorial Hub and the Skift Ideas Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.

Booking.com said last week that it is working to help travelers choose more environmentally sustainable travel options through a new partnership with climate tech company CHOOOSE.

The Amsterdam-based Booking Holdings (NYSE: BKNG) marketplace helps travelers book lodging and a range of transportation options. 

The software made by Oslo-based CHOOOSE, which shares various pieces of emission-related info about specific bookings, can be integrated into other travel software platforms. Other clients of the company include SAP, Amadeus, Skyscanner, Southwest, Air Canada and more, according to its website. 

The goal of the new global partnership is to increase traveler awareness about the carbon implications of their trips, with the ultimate goal of allowing travelers to choose different carbon offsetting options through Booking.com, the companies said. The partnership will focus first on accommodation and later move to other products and services, including flights. 

Booking.com referenced its 2022 study showing that half of travelers say recent news about climate change has influenced them to make more sustainable travel choices. The company last year announced a program that would provide a badge to partners that have implemented a combination of sustainable practices.

“Together with CHOOOSE, we can provide information in a more transparent manner, and through trusted climate projects, can offer another way for travelers to make more mindful travel decisions,” said Danielle D’Silva, head of sustainability for Booking.com, in a statement. 

Online travel agency Hopper has entered into a partnership with short-term rental management platform Hostaway, an alliance that Hopper believes will boost its short-term rental brand Hopper Homes.

“Partnering with Hostaway allows us to bolster our high-quality inventory, and helps us deliver on our promise to provide the best booking options at the best prices,” said Susan Ho, head of Hopper Homes, which Hopper launched in January 2022.

Short-term rental property managers using Hostaway will be now able to list their properties on Hopper.

“We work with many property managers in the U.S., which is Hopper’s main market, so it benefits both companies to team up on this integration,” said Marcus Rader, the CEO and co-founder of Hostaway. “We’re excited about the possibilities this will bring to our customers.”

Hopper, which is the third largest online agency travel agency flight booker in the U.S. between behind Expedia Group and CheapOAir, is already partnering with vacation rental booking brand Vrbo.

Sonder has been trying to up its footprint in corporate travel, announced that it now has a chain code, SS, in the Sabre and Amadeus global distribution systems.

When travel agents are looking to book corporate clients in Sonder properties, having that chain code makes it easier for them to search and find them, Sonder said Wednesday.

Sonder said it obtained the chain code through a partnership with RateGain, which uses a connectivity switch solution to process electronic hotel bookings.

Sonder, a property manager of short-term rentals and hotels, said in its most recent earnings call last month that it had nearly 400 corporate accounts, up from around 250 at the end of March.

Datalex, a Dublin-based tech company, partnered with easyJet to up the airline’s game in merchandising to travelers and the customer experience.

EasyJet offers passengers Standard, Standard Plus, and Essentials fares, as well as add-ons such as extra legroom.

A Datalex spokesperson said this new digital retail partnership with the airline would enable EasyJet to “personalize fare families and bundles,” and give passengers “additional ancillary options.”

Among airlines, Datalex already works with Virgin Australia, JetBlue, Aer Lingus, Air China, and Air Transat.