Lastminute.com states its Jetcost metasearch arm is profitable and it is hoping to expand in the U.S. JetcostSkift Take: It seems odd and a stretch that such a European-focused brand would be gaining traction in the U.S. Will Lastminute.com now be able to scale its business and compete with the sector’s heavy hitters? — Patrick WhyteLastminute.com, or the name, at least, is one of the great survivors of the dotcom age.

The U.S. outbound travel looks strong for this year. Pictured is David Scowsill, president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, speaking to CNBC today about U.S. tourism outlook in 2017. CNBCSkift Take: Many U.S. destinations will have a harder time this year convincing international travelers that they're affordable and welcoming. But for U.S. travelers, much of the world is their oyster thanks to a continued strong dollar.

Skift Take: Cruise marketers may already know to pursue millennials and families, but those two groups are incredibly diverse and warrant better targeting. — Sarah EnelowFor a recent episode of the Skift Podcast, we looked at how cruise lines attract first-timers and millennials, who may become longtime, repeat customers as they start families.

The open-air Magic Carpet is a multi-functional venue on the newest ships under construction for Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity CruisesSkift Take: Celebrity Cruises had a lot of time to think about what it wanted on a new type of ship — 10 years, in fact, since the last class was designed. The line has added some concepts and features that we expect to see more of in the coming years.

JetBlue is among the world's largest E190 operators and it is evaluating whether to fly them to Europe. Pictured In this February, 5, 2015 photo, Robin Hayes walks through the aisle of a JetBlue plane at JFK airport in New York. Kathy Willens / Associated PressSkift Take: JetBlue is taking its time in deciding whether to fly to Europe. We're guessing the airline is leaning that way, but it's hard to know for sure.

The Marriott leadership team celebrates the acquisition of Starwood in New York. Are we likely to see similar deals in the future? Charles Sykes / Associated Press for Marriott InternationalSkift Take: Marriott's decision to buy Starwood does seem to make consolidation among the rest of the chasing pack seem very likely. The problem is nobody wants to get burned by doing a deal at the very top of the market.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky (L) during an interview with Fortune editor Leigh Gallagher at the Economic Club of New York. Economic Club of New YorkSkift Take: As CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky makes his way around the world, he’s offering some insights into what’s next for his $31-billion company.

Passengers in Qatar Airways' new "Q Suite" can create a double bed in some middle seats. Qatar AirwaysSkift Take: There is still a market for international first class. It's just not big, and its generally on flights between financial centers. Qatar Airways is making the right decision in focusing on business class, rather than first.

Selfie by a home-swap enthusiast. GuestToGuest looks to succeed where Couchsurfing has struggled. Ashley SchwartauSkift Take: Let's hope that GuestToGuest's bet on home-swapping ends better than General Catalyst's $15 million investment in Couchsurfing did. Plus, two startups — Hostmaker and Travis — raised money. — Sean O'NeillEach week we create a roundup of travel startups that have received or announced funding that week. The total amount raised this week was more than $62.

Royal Caribbean's three Oasis-class ships are shown meeting for the first time in this photo. A fourth vessel coming next year will be slightly larger than the others. Royal Caribbean InternationalSkift Take: The "world's largest cruise ship" title gets a lot of attention from cruisers, and Royal Caribbean knows it can pretty much apply the term to any of its Oasis-class ships.