Kayak's Founders Are Back and They Want to Reinvent the OTA

0:10Tasmin Lockwood: Today, Kayak's founders launch an AI assistant that acts like an OTA, Alaska Airlines goes all in on premium despite fuel cost pressure, and Europe's latest anti-greenwashing policy is here. Welcome back to the Skip Daily Briefing. It's Wednesday, September 30th, 2026. I'm Tasman Lockwood, Skift's climate and experiences reporter. Let's get into it. First up, the Kayak founders are back and Lola launches today. Lola is an AI travel assistant from Kayak's Steve Hafner and Paul English. It's wholly owned by Booking Holdings, but it has its own code, its own brand, and a greenfield mandate from CEO Glenn Fogel.

0:50Tasmin Lockwood: It has about 20 people and five months of building behind it. Picture Chachupiti deciding to become an OTA. You go from what should I do this weekend to a book trip in one chat. It pulls kayak results from hundreds of sites, hotels from booking.com, Priceline and Agoda, dining through OpenTable and events and experiences through SeatGeek and Get Your Guide. When you need a human, it hands you to a concierge company called Ten Group without leaving the conversation. The real twist is the business model. There are three tiers, free, plus at$5 per month, and VIP at$25 a month. Hafner's pitch is that if members pay, Lola doesn't need to make money on transactions, so it passes the commission savings back to them.

1:34Tasmin Lockwood: In one company example, a four-night stay came in at$783 for a VIP member versus$997 on Booking.com and Expedia. His ambition? To be as big a brand as Booking.com. The takeaway? Lola is booking testing whether memberships can replace commissions. If that works, it rewrites the economics of online travel. Next, Alaska Airlines is doubling down on premium, even as fuel costs continue to bite. Alaska is adding lie-flat Aurora suites to its 787s and to a select Transcon flights on its 737 Max 10s. Lie-flats on a Max 10 would be an industry first. It's also launching its first dedicated premium economy cabin called Premium Reserve, which comes with 38 inches of pitch and a leg and calf rest.

2:23Tasmin Lockwood: And a roughly 41 ,000 square foot two-floor flagship lounge is coming to Seattle in late 2027, with a whole floor just for sweet passengers. Timing is gusty. Alaska's CEO said fuel wiped out its profit in the first half of the year and the airline suspended 2026 guidance. Then, on Monday, the FFA said it would delay certification of the Max 10 over a software glitch. But the bet is clear. Premium and international are where the money is, and Alaska's CFO says catching up to American, Delta and United won't take 10 years. The bottom line? Alaska is spending through the squeeze to become a true global premium carrier, but part of that plan rides on a plane that isn't certified yet.

3:09Tasmin Lockwood: Finally, in Europe, sustainability labels just became a legal liability. The EU's new anti-greenwashing law, known as EMCO, took effect Sunday. It bans vague claims like green, eco-friendly and climate-friendly, unless they're backed up. It also bans carbon-neutral claims built on offsetting and requires sustainability labels to be third-party verified or set up by a public authority. It covers any company selling to EU consumers, no matter where the company is based. For travel, expect fewer eco-labels. Booking.com's sustainability chief says that labels that can't meet the bar may shut down, and Green Key closed its offices this week to move to a stricter, audit-based process.

3:54Tasmin Lockwood: Airlines are rethinking how they even say sustainable aviation fuel, and are leaning into lifecycle emissions data instead of broad claims. The point? The era of the Vey Green Badge is over. Sustainability and travel now has to be proven, not just promoted. That's the SCIFT Daily Briefing for today, September 30th. For more travel and industry news and sharp analysis, head to SCIFT.com and sign up for the daily newsletter at SCIFT.com forward slash daily.

4:32Thank you.