American Airlines sells a “premium” experience and even tells coach passengers their ticket is “more than just a seat,” but customers keep documenting the opposite: broken armrests, headrests that fall off, and first class tray tables marked “out of order.” When they complain, the response is remarkably consistent—no compensation, no partial refund, product delivered—as if a functioning seat and usable meal setup were optional extras.
American Airlines quietly rewrote its Contract of Carriage in two places that matter: wheelchair damage claims now have a 24-hour clock on domestic trips, and downgrades to coach now come with a fixed 40% refund on the affected segment. That turns a mishandled mobility device into a paperwork race, and can make overselling premium cabins more profitable.
Hyatt’s latest points devaluation means fewer outsized redemptions at top properties—here’s precisely how I’ll shift my strategy to keep getting the best possible value.
American Airlines is running a new AAdvantage promo that awards bonus Loyalty Points on March and April flights that count toward status. Register in your account by April 30 to earn 500 extra Loyalty Points per flown segment (up to 5,000), with additional bonuses on select Mexico and Caribbean routes and for segments booked through AAdvantage Business/Corporate.
A United Boeing 787-9 bound for Newark turned back to Los Angeles and was on the ground again just 36 minutes after takeoff, after its left engine began smoking. Fire crews met the jet on the runway, and passengers were sent down the evacuation slides onto a taxiway as LAX imposed a ground stop.
An American passenger watched a kid lick the seatback screen in front of him—and the airline’s removal of the last domestic seatback screens suddenly doesn’t feels so bad. Plus a groom dressed as Nicolás Maduro gets “kidnapped” through an Argentina airport and Airbnb’s refund fine print for Dubai turns into a dark joke.
Southwest Airlines will build a massive airport lounge in Austin, documents obtained exclusively through a public records request reveal—yet they appear to be covering up its purpose by claiming the enormous 40,000-square-foot space is merely for crew. That explanation doesn’t add up.
United just took delivery of its first premium-heavy Boeing 787-9 with the new long-haul interior—and internal cabin photos shared with employees are giving the first real look at what “United Elevated” actually means. The images show Polaris Studio, a self-serve snack bar, and a rebalanced 222-seat layout that shifts space from coach to premium cabins ahead of the jet’s March debut and long-haul rollout.
Rove Miles just added Japan Airlines Mileage Bank as a transfer partner, and they’re kicking it off with a rare 50% bonus through March 31—unlocking premium-cabin awards on JAL and Emirates at incredible value, and making the program more compelling than ever.
A JetBlue flight in Fort Lauderdale was evacuated and searched after a passenger made a bomb threat—and investigators say it started with something much smaller: he couldn’t find overhead bin space for his carry-on. No device was found, the man was arrested, and the flight eventually departed after a 3-hour delay.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
