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.
American Airlines has a catering mess in London right now, so it’s loading two flights worth of meals in the U.S. and flying them over—then relying on that stock for the return trip. The result is bare-minimum service, with limited entrée choices and no ice cream up front, because there simply isn’t enough galley space to carry full catering both ways.
A Hyatt hotel is telling top-tier guests that the elite breakfast at its beachfront food truck is reserved exclusively for Jewish customers—sparking confusion, hilarious jokes, and comparisons to a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
The Southwest Airlines boarding experience has been the worst of all possible worlds since moving to assigned seating on January 27. Now flight attendants are being asked to shoulder the burden, and their union is putting the airline on blast.
After Southwest Airlines replaced open seating with assigned seats, wheelchair requests instantly plummeted, confirming long-suspected abuse of the boarding process. Plus, the abandoned Park Hyatt Los Angeles “ghost tower” might finally get new life, and Bilt launches a premium hotel program for luxury travelers.
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 »
