MW This online travel giant sees holiday travel perking up

By Claudia Assis

Booking detects 'steady travel demand' ahead

Priceline is one of Booking's brands, which also include Kayak and restaurant reservation service OpenTable.

Booking Holdings Inc. said late Tuesday it was seeing an uptick in travel demand for the upcoming holiday quarter.

There remains "some uncertainty" around the economy and geopolitics, the online travel company said. But Booking said it is detecting "continued momentum, with steady travel demand trends in our business so far in the fourth quarter."

Booking's (BKNG) brands include well-known travel sites such as Kayak and Priceline as well as restaurant reservation site OpenTable and others.

The company's stock rose nearly 5% in the after-hours session Tuesday, after ending the regular trading day down 2.6%. It reported third-quarter earnings that were above Wall Street's expectations.

Travel-related companies have reported upbeat results in recent days, albeit with a focus on well-heeled customers.

Royal Caribbean Group $(RCL)$ said earlier Tuesday that people are still spending on "affordable luxuries," and said that demand for its cruises is accelerating.

U.S. airlines also reported upbeat quarterly earnings in recent days, with Delta Air Lines Inc. $(DAL)$ and United Airlines Holdings Inc. $(UAL)$ top picks among analysts for their emphasis on the more lucrative services for upscale travelers.

Booking reported adjusted earnings of $99.50 a share on revenue of $9 billion in its third quarter, up 13% from year-ago revenue. Analysts polled by FactSet expected adjusted EPS of $97.61 on revenue of $8.8 billion for the quarter.

The company said that its cost-reduction plan is running ahead of expectations, and raised its expectation for annual run-rate savings to a range of $500 million to $550 million, from a previous guidance of $400 million to $450 million.

-Claudia Assis

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October 28, 2025 17:15 ET (21:15 GMT)

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