Most loyalty programs are run by people who understand spreadsheets better than members. Flying Blue just went the other way, tapping someone who has spent years on the member side of loyalty: helping travelers understand points, search awards, and navigate the programs from the outside. That is rare — and very good news for a program that is already one of the strongest worldwide.
Pool chair towel hogs are no longer just a resort annoyance. After a German tourist won a refund because guests monopolized loungers with towels, resorts across Europe are scrambling to enforce chair rules before missing loungers become a legal and financial problem.
Jeffrey Epstein’s Amex records show the banal machinery behind something much darker: 17 cards, 11 million Membership Rewards points, and a Black Card concierge helping book “decoy” flights for visa interviews.
Readers are reporting surprisingly generous approvals for Citi new premium credit card. The Strata Elite currently offers an initial bonus and credits I value at $2,300 total in the first cardmember year, making it one of the most lucrative new card launches in years.
Frontier passengers were told to leave their bags behind during an emergency evacuation — exactly what safety rules require. One mother traveling with a baby says she did just that, then spent hours without diapers, formula, ID, keys, medication, or a car seat while Frontier scolded them for not taking their bags off the slide.
Tesla Sentry Mode caught a Hilton guest throwing something onto another guest’s car in the hotel parking lot. The hotel’s response, according to the Tesla owner, was to shrug it off as “half & half creamer” — which rather misses the point.
Miles are usually about getting more value for yourself. But United miles can also do something far more urgent: help someone get on a plane in time to say goodbye to a dying loved one.
American Airlines can spend money on seats, lounges, food, and drinks, but it cannot buy a premium experience if the people delivering it do not act like hospitality matters. The failure to consistently greet passengers is small — until you understand what it says about culture, incentives, and management.
Cabin video from the Frontier evacuation shows flight attendants pleading, “Leave the bags!” as passengers took carry-ons anyway. The exchange captures why emergency evacuations rarely work the way safety briefings imagine: people panic, protect their belongings, film, and make split-second choices that can slow everyone down.
oreign airlines often make passengers weigh carry-on bags at the gate, sometimes limiting them to just 15.4 pounds including the bag itself. They call it safety, bin space, or boarding efficiency, but the U.S. proves planes can operate safely without this theater — the real explanation is regulation, not some crisis caused by your backpack.
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 »
