New York City hotel housekeepers are set to earn more than $100,000 under a new union contract, with hotels still covering health benefits. That is great for workers — but it also changes the argument for tipping, especially in a city where union-backed rules have restricted hotel supply, raised room rates, and made guests pay more before they ever left after their stay.
Air France KLM’s Flying Blue credit card is now live for rent payments through Bilt, earning 3x miles on up to $50,000 in annual rent spend. The bigger play is not just buying miles at a 3% fee — it is turning rent into card spend that can help unlock Flying Blue elite status.
Thailand immigration officials are warning travelers not to buy VIP airport fast track services online, saying paid immigration shortcuts do not exist and may be scams.
A viral video showed a Colorado Rockies coach sitting in a United cockpit midflight. The pilots were fired, the FAA investigated, and the captain now argues she was retaliated against for reporting the incident, but the security breach happened on her watch.
Wyndham Rewards is adding Applebee’s delivery inside its app and pitching it as a way to “redefine room service.” That may be overselling boneless wings in a brown bag, but guests get waived delivery fees on eligible orders, 10 Wyndham points per dollar, and the convenience of food delivered straight to the room instead of meeting a driver in the lobby.
Amex Business Platinum and Business Gold just added a $300 ChatGPT credit, and the real play is stacking it with a 50% off ChatGPT Business promo. Since ChatGPT Business requires two seats, that stack can turn what would normally cost $480 a year into effectively free access for two users — with business privacy protections personal Plus accounts do not get.
Emirates may get the right to fly Tel Aviv–New York, and not just as a stopover on the way to Dubai. Israel is reportedly offering the Gulf carrier rare seventh-freedom rights, setting up a fight with El Al, Delta, United, and anyone else that does not want Emirates competing on one of the most politically sensitive long-haul routes in the world.
A black bear managed to lock itself inside a Tennessee hotel bathroom, leaving Gatlinburg police to crack the door open with a two-by-four and let it walk out like an embarrassed guest. The bear escaped with only one reported casualty: a $50 bathroom mirror.
JetBlue cuts keep spreading, and Newark crews reportedly learned major flying reductions through a basic daily email. Plus: a tourist gets blasted across the beach at St. Maarten, Bilt cuts Rakuten transfer value for non-elites, and Ernst & Young publishes a loyalty study full of fake sources.
Hilton wants Diamond breakfast guests to feel recognized, but some properties are doing it with table signs that publicly mark who is getting the elite benefit. Some guests love the VIP treatment; others feel like they’ve been labeled as coupon users before the eggs even arrive.
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 »
