Delta Revives a Decades-Old Rule, Leaving Some Travelers With a Costly Surprise
https://www.fodors.com/news/news/delta-revives-a-decades-old-rule-leaving-some-travelers-with-a-costly-surprise
Hairem/Shutterstock
Delta seemingly implemented an old rule, which almost upended one traveler's return flight from abroad.
Passengers traveling on international flights typically need a slew of documentation. Ticket confirmation, boarding pass, passport, visa—any number of travel documents can be required based the airline and destination. Travelers on some airlines, however, can add one more thing to remember when traveling internationally—the credit card they used to purchase their ticket.
This used to be a far more common requirement. In the earlier days of internet airline ticket sales, before multilayer authentication and other credit card security features, airlines used to require to see the physical credit card at their ticket counter or city ticket office prior to the flight. For international flights, many airlines used to routinely inform passengers that they needed to travel with the credit card used to purchase their ticket.
In some cases, passengers are asked for the credit card at their first point of check-in, but sometimes, it happens on the return portion of the trip, like it
did to one passenger at
London’s Heathrow Airport. In that case, the passenger, who was flying
Delta Air Lines on the return portion of their journey to Seattle/Tacoma, was presented with a difficult decision: either produce the credit card (which they had left at home), or purchase an entirely new ticket to the tune of several thousand dollars.
The passenger was ultimately able to obtain a photograph of the credit card, which was enough to satisfy Delta representatives in London to allow them to board the flight.
But it raises the question of why
Delta, and other airlines like
Turkish and
Japan Airlines reserve the right to require the credit card used to purchase the ticket be presented at the airport ticket counter when checking in for the flight.
It’s worth noting that airlines are largely left to develop their own procedures for how they identify and handle transactions they suspect to be fraudulent. Airlines also maintain different standards for what types of transactions they consider to be suspicious. Delta, Turkish, and Japan Airlines each inform customers on their websites that they may be asked to present the credit card used to purchase their ticket.
The airlines don’t, however, present any more information regarding what types of purchases are typically flagged as having potential for fraud—and that’s to prevent would-be fraudsters from learning how the airlines make those determinations. Other airlines that don’t resort to the old-fashioned practice of requiring the physical credit card to be present at the time of travel have other verification methods that they similarly do not widely publicize.
So, what can passengers do to avoid getting asked for the credit card they used to purchase the ticket at check-in? The airline industry blog
View From The Wing suggests booking via a travel agency—whether a traditional agency or an online one—reasoning that airlines hold travel agents accountable for preventing fraud at their own sales points, which makes them less likely to request additional verification at their own ticket counters. Travelers can also carry the credit card they used to purchase the ticket (or a copy or picture of it) on their phone to avoid check-in difficulties.
The same blog also suggests that mileage redemption tickets purchased last minute and from certain countries tend to be those that trigger the airlines’ fraud identification systems. Other airlines, such as
Alaska,
United, and
American tell passengers it’s generally not necessary to keep their credit card on them when they travel with them.
Whether traveling on an airline that verifies credit cards at the ticket counter or not, it’s generally a good idea to follow the airlines’ suggested arrival times for international flights—often up to three hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the flight, just to give passengers enough time to iron out any difficulties they may have during check-in.
Latin American construction pipeline surging
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Regions/Latin-America/Latin-American-construction-pipeline-surging
INTERNATIONAL REPORT — Latin America’s hospitality sector is experiencing solid construction activity that reflects growing confidence in the region’s tourism and business travel prospects, according to the latest data from Lodging Econometrics.
LE’s Q2 2025 report shows Latin America in expansion mode, with 748 projects encompassing 116,648 rooms now in the construction pipeline, representing year-over-year growth of 22% in project count and 20% in room inventory. This progression indicates that developers are planning more projects across the region, reflecting steady confidence in diverse markets.
More than 300 projects with over 51,000 rooms are actively under construction, showing 20% YOY growth. At the same time, the early planning stage has grown by 44% with additional projects compared to last year, suggesting sustained interest in the market.
“The Latin America region continues to demonstrate resilience and growth potential,” said Bruce Ford, senior vice president and director of global business development at Lodging Econometrics. “What we’re seeing is steady expansion driven by improving economic fundamentals, nearshoring trends, and Latin America’s increasing prominence as a destination for both leisure and business travelers.”
The luxury chain scale continues to perform well, with 142 projects and 27,428 rooms in development, both record highs. Leading the luxury pipeline is the Moon Palace Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, currently under construction and slated to add 2,149 rooms to the country’s inventory upon opening. This activity at the premium end reflects Latin America’s continued appeal to affluent travelers and the region’s development as a luxury destination beyond traditional resort areas, indicating that institutional capital and international hotel brands maintain interest in the region.
The upscale chain scale comprises 140 projects, with the Iberostar Beachfront Resort Los Cabos in Mexico leading this chain scale at 1,110 rooms upon completion. The midscale category comprises of 137 projects, resulting in a reasonable distribution across price points that suggests developers are targeting multiple traveler segments.
Mexico leads the regional pipeline with 263 projects representing 40,428 rooms, while Brazil follows with 121 projects and the Dominican Republic is third with 85 projects. These three countries collectively represent nearly two-thirds of all pipeline activity.
Construction activity increased in Q2, with 46 projects totaling 7,275 rooms breaking ground, a 15% quarterly rise that suggests developers are moving forward with plans despite broader economic uncertainties. The renovation and conversion segment also exhibits substantial activity, with 159 projects undergoing transformations. Two of the largest projects undergoing renovation currently are the Bahla Principe Grand Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and the Princess Mundo Imperial in Mexico.
LE forecasts call for 89 total openings and 15,524 rooms by the end of 2025, with notable projects including the 1,100-key upper upscale Hard Rock Hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and the 1,043-key Senator Riviera Cancun in Mexico among the largest slated to open. The forecast anticipates continued growth, with 131 hotels expected in 2026, including the Moon Palace Punta Cana, scheduled to open in March, followed by 140 hotels in 2027.
'Uncertainty is bad for business': Hotel executives express discontent with unpredictability
Deals market trending in the right direction heading into 2026
(From left) Marriott International's Leeny Oberg, Sonesta Hotels' John Murray and MGM Resorts International's Ayesha Molino speak during the "Executive Briefing Part III" session at The Lodging Conference in Phoenix. (Trevor Simpson)
https://www.costar.com/article/1676288027/uncertainty-is-bad-for-business-hotel-executives-express-discontent-with-unpredictability?
PHOENIX — There's been no shortage of uncertainty in the hospitality industry this year. Performance fell short of expectations due to unforeseen challenges such as cratering international travel from certain regions and rising costs of materials and food.
Hotel executives speaking from the main stage at
The Lodging Conference last week expressed their discontent with the precarious nature of policy shifts from the U.S. affecting the broader economy and their business in 2025.
"What's tough on our industry always is uncertainty," said Joe Berger, president and CEO of BRE Hotels & Resorts. "It's been a tough year to navigate."
Leeny Oberg, chief financial officer and executive vice president of development at Marriott International, said there's frequently a new tariff announcement or comment made toward another country that is affecting the planning process. That process is very sequential, so the timing of some of these announcements can really throw off the execution of hotel projects midway through, she said.
"You've got all these people trying to make plans about their cutbacks and what they're trying to do with their properties, and it's literally every week or every day there's a new announcement. 'Oh, it's furniture today,' or, 'Oh, it's this country today.' From a planning perspective, it makes it extremely difficult," she said.
Beth McMahon, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada, said there likely won't be a return to business as usual anytime soon, but meetings between the countries' officials bodes well for finding some common ground.
"We know uncertainty is bad for business, and as soon as we start having these signs that are hopeful, all of our hearts start fluttering a little bit," she said.
Kamalesh Patel, the 2025-2026 chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, said the return of corporate travel has been inconsistent from market to market. For instance, this travel segment hasn't returned to the Bay Area. He said he's concentrating on picking up demand and remaining nimble.
"[It's about] staying patient, and it's trying to adapt in the market the best we can. It really is uncertain times right now, though," he said.
Opportunities for 2026
The uncertainty present isn't necessarily expected to clear up anytime soon. But this doesn't mean that optimism has waned for a return to form as the hotel industry rounds the corner and heads into 2026.
Berger said the biggest opportunity next year is, in fact, the same uncertainty that plagued the hospitality business this year.
"The economy is going to build strength over the year, but we've got to be really focused on the demand dynamics and driving success in a kind of volatile environment," he said.
After yet another year of muted hotel transaction activity, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Americas CEO Kevin Davis said he's reasonably optimistic that 2026 will bode better results. He said there's a significant amount of capital waiting on the sidelines to be spent as well as debt funds that are active in the hospitality space.
"Oftentimes there's a bit of a disconnect between the capital markets and the real economy. Right now, our sector, we're relying on business and consumers, and so we're very reflective of what's going on in the real economy," he said. "But at the end of the day, we feel much better about what the capital markets environment will look like in 2026 and what that will mean in terms of transaction activity."
The tides are starting to turn on acquiring assets, said Arash Azarbarzin, CEO of Highgate. Even though the past couple of years have been soft, hotel rates are rising along with hotel costs, so the return on investment is there.
Azarbarzin said Highgate gets plenty of opportunities to make hotel deals every week, but they might choose to only pick one of those to pursue.
"The way we look at opportunities [is] how can we add value to every asset that we bring in? How do we partner with the right brands to open the distribution channel for us?" he said. "The doors are opening from an acquisition side of our business, for sure."
Justin Knight, CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT, said a quiet hotel deals environment provides an opportunity to shift strategy and reap the benefits when there's more clarity.
There are hotel deals available in areas that aren't necessarily popular at the moment, he said. At the same time, the prices on these deals will never be better than they are today, so there's an opportunity to get ahead of the curve and build a portfolio that ages well years into the future.
"In these periods of uncertainty, where people are sitting on the sideline, being smart, doing your homework and getting in areas where you have a high degree of confidence, there will be a future return on that investment," Knight said.
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