[ad_1]
Skift Take
The list of companies taking a stand has grown considerably since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three weeks ago. Here’s our latest recap of travel’s pullback from Russia.
In merely two weeks, most Western travel companies sliced many arteries of money between them and Russia, responding to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Businesses appear to be complying with sanctions, but some companies went further than what sanctions required — out of a mix of outrage and fear of public shaming.
On March 4, Skift published Russia Travel: Who’s In, Who’s Out, spotlighting travel company actions. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute have been updating a list of hundreds of companies across industries that have rushed to disengage because of the aggression.
Sonnefeld made the case on CNBC for a Western retreat from Russia. The ambition is to spark an economic crisis in Russia that will prompt many of its 145 million citizens to force Putin to stop the humanitarian crisis. The lack of foreign capital may be enough of a blow, agreed other analysts.
Ironically, Putin’s circle may welcome the isolation.
The leakiness of the boycott may also be undermining its impact. Europe is unwilling to cut off energy imports, which more than travel or anything else funds the war. China and countries in the “global South” such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, and Brazil haven’t joined the sanctions.
Some travel companies haven’t pulled back. India’s MakeMyTrip has been selling lodging in Russia. Many hotel brands that have third-party owners in Russia continue to open their doors. Avis, Budget, Rentmotors, and Yodo are among the car rental firms still doing business in Russia
We’ll leave the predictions to the geopolitical experts. Skift’s team will keep updating our list in the table, below.
Companies Curtailing Business in Russia
| Company | Action |
|---|---|
| Accor | suspended future investments; 55 hotels owned by third parties are still open |
| AerCap | suspended aircraft leasing |
| Airbnb | suspended bookings |
| Airbus | suspended parts and service |
| Alaska Airlines | suspended partnerships |
| Alphabet/Google Travel | turned off Russia advertisers, but has some ads for Russian listings |
| Amadeus IT | suspended Aeroflot bookings but maintains passenger service systems |
| American Airlines | suspended flights over Russian airspace |
| American Express | suspended operations; cards issued by Russian banks won’t supported by the Amex network |
| Boeing | suspended parts, service, technical support, and titanium purchases |
| Bombardier | restricting new business deals |
| Booking Holdings | suspended operations |
| Carnival | discontinued Russia itineraries |
| Cloudbeds | suspended operations including services to partners and customers who operate in Russia |
| Delta | suspended Aeroflot partnership |
| eDreams Odigeo | suspended its Russia website and removed Russia from its inventory |
| Expedia | suspended sale of travel into and out of Russia |
| GetYourGuide | suspended bookings |
| G Adventures | suspended tours and won’t accept bookings from Russian agencies |
| Hilton | suspended new investments; still runs 26 hotels |
| HRS | suspended services in Russia |
| Hyatt | suspended investments and new developments |
| IHG | closed office; suspended future investments; hotels owned by third parties are still open |
| Intrepid Travel | suspended operations in Russia but is still selling for 2023 |
| Kensington Tours | suspended bookings for 2022 |
| Korean Air Lines | no flying over Russian airspace, despite not being subject to Russian airspace ban |
| Marriott | closed office; suspended future investments; 28 hotels owned by third parties are still open |
| Mastercard | cards issued by Russian banks won’t be supported by the Mastercard network |
| Norwegian Cruise Lines | discontinued Russia itineraries |
| Regent Seven Seas Cruises | discontinued Russia itineraries |
| Rick Steves | suspended tours |
| Sabre | suspended Aeroflot bookings but maintains passenger service systems |
| Skyscanner (owned by Trip.com) | turned off Russian content and withdrawn Skyscanner’s transactional platform |
| SmarTours | canceled Russia itineraries |
| Tauck | suspended 2022 tours of Russia and stops in Russia |
| Travelport | suspended Aeroflot bookings |
| The Travel Corporation | suspended 2022 tours of Russia and stops in Russia |
| TripActions | no longer supporting travel to Russia; Tripactions Liquid card stopped for Russia transactions |
| Tripadvisor/Viator | removed “Kremlin-linked propaganda” and Russia ads |
| TUI Group’s Musement and GoTui.com | suspended sales of activities to do in Russia |
| Uber | removed “Kremlin-linked propaganda” and Russia ads |
| United Airlines | no flying over Russian airspace |
| Visa | credit cards issued by Russian banks won’t supported by the Visa network |
Skift edit staffers Dennis Schaal, Rashaad Jorden, Matt Parsons, Lebawit Lily Girma, Sean O’Neill, and Madhu Unnikrishnan of Skift’s Airline Weekly contributed to this report.
The above lists aren’t exhaustive, and the situation is fluid.
[ad_2]
Source link