About Daniel Hafner
Daniel Hafner, CEO of KAYAK at Booking Holdings, has spoken publicly about travel industry trends and broader societal observations. In a 2022 interview, Hafner stated that travel demand had returned after the pandemic, citing increased leisure travel offsetting a decline in business travel. He attributed rising ticket prices to airline staffing shortages and higher fuel costs, and said that consumers were seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations and non-hotel accommodations. Hafner also called for increased capacity at government border-processing entities to address travel disruptions.
In a 2023 presentation to the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, Hafner discussed what he described as a declining tolerance for delayed gratification and a reduced willingness to take responsibility, which he linked to societal trends. He argued that "coming of age means you no longer have someone who can tell you what to do" and that "the more you try to make group decisions, the more you inevitably come into situations where all but two people want one thing." Hafner also commented on pasteurization laws, stating that "living beings cannot live in a sterile environment."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Daniel Hafner's recent appearances.
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Transcript (8 segments)
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Richard0:00
From Paris we're late today. The travel industry is shocked by the chaos. Joining me here is the CEO of KAYAK. The situation is awful. Last night, the CEO said it was unacceptable. What needs to be done?
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Daniel Hafner0:23
Richard, the first thing that needs to be done is we need to add to the capacity, the capacity to do so. Not just suppliers, the government entities that process people going through borders and check-in and checkout lines. I think rather than focus on the negative, the positive is that travel is back after a couple years in hibernation. Everybody in the industry is very pleased with that. Obviously, prices are through the roof as well. No one is very pleased about that. Service levels aren't where we would like them to be.
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Richard0:59
I sort of feel travel is back. That is to be celebrated. But I booked to take a short while ago online. The amount of carrier-added fees on a transatlantic ticket, some form of fuel surcharge, are extraordinary. Are we being ripped off? Is this legitimate?
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Daniel Hafner1:22
I don't think we're being ripped off. The airlines have gotten very sophisticated in understanding how to unbundle the fees. There's a base fare for transportation taking you from A to B. All the other things you might want to bring with you, the selection, they are pricing that for you. You're not being ripped off because the airline emails are showing the windfall profits of other companies. The airlines are suffering through staffing shortages. They are not getting the equipment they want from... of course, they have to pay for the same gas price for fuel that everybody else does.
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Richard2:02
But one thing I noticed everybody is talking about now is experience. Everybody wants experiences. It follows from the pandemic, the bucket list, all these sorts of things. I assume you're starting to see this as well.
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Daniel Hafner2:17
Absolutely. At KAYAK, we process billions of customer requests for information every month. Those queries have changed during the course of the pandemic. People are looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations, more willing to consider non-hotel accommodations. They don't want to stay in marionettes... local experiences. Willing to stay for longer, they are willing to drive to get there. A lot of those changes have to be factored into the supply going forward. We're on top of it at KAYAK.
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Richard2:50
You think these changes are permanent, as much as anything is in travel? In the sense that is it a fact... we know business travel will probably not... 30% of it will not come back. We don't really know if the future full direction of leisure. Are you getting any thoughts on that?
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Daniel Hafner3:08
What we're seeing is that the increase in leisure is offsetting the decrease in business. That's actually a good thing. As people get wealthier in most countries around the world, they tend to spend their money on experiences, specifically the younger demographic versus assets.
