United says its network is now bigger than Pan Am ever was, a claim designed to sound like a sweeping victory lap. The catch is what the airline is actually measuring. Depending on how you define network, cities, and connectivity, the boast can be made technically true — while still leaving a much less dramatic picture than the one United wants passengers to hear.
A Delta regional flight attendant is running for Congress. She has become a full-time political figure with a labor-backed campaign, a sharp activist record, and a much tougher primary path than a flattering profile might suggest.
A Delta regional jet was already landing at LaGuardia when the pilots realized they had been talking to the wrong controller. The crew had switched to the wrong New York tower frequency on approach, and the mistake only became obvious when the controller asked the flight a simple question: where are you?
A man started handing out vodka shots in a four-hour TSA line at Houston airport. With airport security waits spiraling during the shutdown, passengers stranded in one of the country’s worst lines got an unexpected morale boost from a traveler sharing the bottle he would never make it through the checkpoint with anyway.
A senior Southwest captain says the airline fired him over “mean tweets” just 644 days before mandatory retirement. You can buy a retired DC-9 for $5,000, Porter adds a redemption surcharge, and a Senate candidate makes a mess of airline pricing.
Passengers on a Delta regional flight say the plane sat on the ground waiting for a late-arriving traveler tied to airline leadership. They also say a man who had already been upgraded was removed from first class so the traveler could take his seat.
A JetBlue redeye passenger in the Mint cabin was reported for solo sexual conduct, and the crew’s message included one detail that made the whole thing even stranger. Along with the warning and request for police or security on arrival, JetBlue’s internal note made sure to mention that the passenger was Mosaic 4 — the airline’s top published elite status tier.
A Frontier passenger was filmed at the gate wearing a cat on his head like a hat. He walks around the gate area with it and even adjusts it over his headphones.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was photographed flying first class on Friday. He’s being criticized for the premium experience of an upgraded class of service while the working classes suffer coach. That take does not makes sense.
United Airlines is pouring resources into premium cabins and new upsell products, but coach travelers are getting upgrades too. The airline says economy flyers will see Starlink wifi, better food, softer blankets, improved earbuds, and more screens — small touches that matter when most passengers still sit in the back.
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 »
