take the change
The list of companies that have taken a stand has grown exponentially since Russia invaded Ukraine about three weeks ago. Here’s our latest summary of the decline in travel from Russia.
change of staff
In just two weeks, most Western travel companies cut several financial arteries between themselves and Russia, in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Companies appear to be complying with the sanctions, but some companies have gone above and beyond what the sanctions require – due to a combination of anger and fear of public shame.
On March 4, Skift published the website Russia Travel: Who’s In, Who’s Out, which highlights the travel company’s procedures. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and the CEO Leadership Institute at Yale University have been updating a list of hundreds of companies across industries that have rushed to disengage because of aggression.
Sonnefeld made the case on CNBC for Western withdrawal from Russia. The ambition is to ignite an economic crisis in Russia that will cause many of its 145 million citizens to force Putin to halt the humanitarian crisis. Other analysts agreed that the lack of foreign capital could be a sufficient blow.
Ironically, Putin’s circle may welcome the isolation.
Leaking the boycott could also undermine its impact. Europe is not ready to cut off energy imports, which finance war more than travel or anything else. China and “global south” countries such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey and Brazil have not joined the sanctions.
Some travel companies have not opted out. The Indian company MakeMyTrip sells accommodation in Russia. Many hotel brands with third-party owners in Russia continue to open their doors. Avis, Budget, Rentmotors, and Yodo are among the rental car companies still in business.
We’ll leave the predictions to the geopolitical experts. The Skift team will continue to update our list in the table below.
Downsizing business in Russia
| company | Action |
|---|---|
| Accor | pending future investments; 55 third-party owned hotels still open |
| AirCap | Suspended aircraft leasing |
| Airbnb | Pending reservations |
| Airbus | Outstanding parts and service |
| Alaska Airlines | Suspension of Partnerships |
| Alphabet / Google Travel | Russia Advertisers Disabled, But It Has Some Ads For Russian Listings |
| Amadeus IT | Aeroflot reservations suspended but maintains passenger service regulations |
| American Airlines | Flights suspended over Russian airspace |
| American Express | Suspended operations Cards issued by Russian banks will not be supported by the Amex network |
| Boeing | Hanging Parts, Service, Technical Support, Titanium Procurement |
| Bombardier | Restrict new business deals |
| Reservation collectibles | pending operations |
| carnival | Russia’s blocked tracks |
| cloudbeads | Suspended operations including services to partners and customers operating in Russia |
| delta | Aeroflot partnership suspended |
| eDreams Odigeo | It suspended its website in Russia and removed Russia from its inventory |
| Expedia | Suspension of the sale of travel to and from Russia |
| GetYourGuide | Pending reservations |
| J . Adventures | Tours are suspended and will not accept reservations from Russian agencies |
| Hilton | pending new investments; It still operates 26 hotels |
| HRS | Outstanding services in Russia |
| Life | Pending investments and new developments |
| IHG | Closed office pending future investments; Hotels owned by third parties are still open |
| basil travel | Operations suspended in Russia but still selling for 2023 |
| Kensington Tours | Pending reservations for 2022 |
| Korean Air | It is forbidden to fly over Russian airspace, although it is not subject to the prohibition of Russian airspace |
| Marriott | Closed office pending future investments; 28 hotels owned by third parties are still open |
| Master Card Credit Card | The Mastercard network will not support cards issued by Russian banks |
| Norwegian Cruise Lines | Russia’s blocked tracks |
| Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Regent Seven Seas Cruise | Russia’s blocked tracks |
| Rick Steves | outstanding tours |
| Sabir | Aeroflot reservations suspended but maintains passenger service regulations |
| Skyscanner (owned by Trip.com) | Turn off Russian content and withdraw the Skyscanner transaction platform |
| Smartors | Russia canceled routes |
| tawk | 2022 flights to Russia suspended and stopped in Russia |
| Travelport | Pending Aeroflot reservations |
| travel company | 2022 flights to Russia suspended and stopped in Russia |
| TripActions | no longer support travel to Russia; Tripactions Liquid Card for Russia Transactions Has Been Suspended |
| Tripadvisor / Viator | Remove “Kremlin-related propaganda” and Russia ads |
| Musement Group TUI and GoTui.com | Suspended sales of activities to do in Russia |
| Uber | Remove “Kremlin-related propaganda” and Russia ads |
| United Airlines | It is forbidden to fly over Russian airspace |
| visa | The Visa network will not support credit cards issued by Russian banks |
Skift’s members of the editorial staff Dennis Schaal, Rashad Jordan, Matt Parsons, Lily Jerma’s Libwaite, Sean O’Neill and Madhu Onikrishnan of Skift’s Airline Weekly contributed to this report.
The above lists are not exhaustive, and the situation is flexible.
