*By Amanda Weston* Puerto Rico ー still recovering a full year after Hurricane Maria's lashing ー was the inspiration for travel insight company Skift's new foundation, according to the company's CEO. "\[We\] saw the destruction and the recovery firsthand. Our whole team went," Rafat Ali, CEO of Skift, told Cheddar Friday. The top names in travel gathered in New York this week for the Skift Global Forum to talk travel industry trends, and Ali's company unveiled its new [Skift Foundation](https://skift.org/), which the CEO said will award grants to underfunded tourism destinations. "We were very moved by it and said, 'We know what we need to do,' which is, let's create a Skift Foundation that ties up with under-resourced destinations like Puerto Rico and others that we can give either our services, our access to high-priced research which they may or may not be able to afford, to our services, marketing, design. We know the best practices in travel," he said. The new foundation is not the only headline from this year's forum. Delta ($DAL) CEO Ed Bastian said on Friday that [free in-flight Wi-Fi](https://skift.com/2018/09/28/delta-ceo-declares-free-in-flight-wi-fi-is-coming/) is on the way. Bastian did not provide an exact date for when the service might debut, but said a new wireless entertainment system is currently in testing mode on new Airbus A220 planes. Skift reported that JetBlue ($JBLU) is currently the only large, U.S.-based airline that offers free in-flight Wi-Fi. On the ground, Hyatt Hotels ($H) CEO Mark Hoplamazian announced Thursday the company will [ban hate groups](https://skift.com/2018/09/27/hyatt-ceo-says-hotels-will-ban-hate-groups-we-need-to-draw-the-line/) from its properties. "That’s really where we need to draw the line," he said. "We’re going to apply our values to making these decisions along the way." Hoplamazian and other industry CEOs met with President Trump earlier this month to discuss the importance of international travel. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/skift-ceo-talks-travel-tech-new-foundation-at-forum).

Share:
More In Business
Boeing defense workers on strike in the Midwest turn down latest offer
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
FBI’s NBA probe puts sports betting businesses in the spotlight
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla’s profit fell in third quarter even as sales rose
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Load More