A gay Catholic United Airlines flight attendant was fired for his tweets online. He argued he was singled out and treated separately due to his specific viewpoints. His union agreed, but refused to defend him – also, he says, because they disagreed with his views. Tiwtter funded the lawsuit, and he’s gotten a settlement.
Rove Miles is offering first-time hotel booking bonuses through December 19: earn 2,500 miles after $500 in spend or 5,000 miles after $1,000, using the promo codes. On top of that, both new and existing members can earn a 40% bonus on “Loyalty Eligible” hotel bookings—stacking Rove miles while still earning the hotel program’s points, elite credit, and on-property benefits.
Mesa closed my account, and that of many readers. The option to transfer points to airline miles and hotel points is gone. The only redemption option left in the app appears to be..
A night at one of my go-to JFK hotels turned surreal when I arrived and was told my Hyatt reservation had been changed behind my back. From there it spiraled into broken door locks, lounge and billing issues, and “bogus” charges I had to deal with on the way out.
Two major U.S. airlines are quietly drawing up contingency plans in case Spirit can’t secure its next $100 million lifeline and has to shut down operations. A crucial cash deadline hits as soon as Saturday, and with no sale or standalone reorganization plan yet on file, Spirit’s future now depends on what its lenders are willing to accept.
Citi’s new Strata Elite card doesn’t just come with a 100,000 point bonus – its Splurge, Blacklane, and $300 hotel credits are timed to the calendar year, so you can use them twice in your first cardmember year. Here’s exactly how to stack those perks, plus Priority Pass and Admirals Club passes, to squeeze the maximum value out of year one.
I’m exactly who Southwest’s “new” model is supposed to win over: Austin-based, flying their monopoly DCA–AUS route, happy to pay for extra legroom and rarely checking a bag. But I still book away because their wifi is effectively useless, turning a “premium” seat into lost work time instead of an upgrade.
Airplane cabin air really can be clean and still smell awful. On one 5-hour flight, a gassy passenger reportedly let loose every 15–20 minutes, leaving nearby rows gagging while flight attendants sprayed Febreze and handed out masks. HEPA filters do a great job on particles and germs, but they don’t remove most odor molecules — so if someone keeps “refreshing” the smell, especially in your section of the cabin, the stench can linger no matter how many air changes per hour the aircraft cycles through.
American’s new A321XLR squeezes a surprisingly premium experience into a narrowbody: 1–1 business class suites with doors, an upgraded 2–2 premium economy cabin and seatback screens and power at every seat. I toured the aircraft at JFK before it enters service, including the galleys and rear ovens that will let American serve hot meals in coach on long, thin routes.
Southwest has a “secret” infinite-legroom window seat on its 737-800s and MAX 8s: 16A and 16F, with nothing at all in front of them. They only exist because FAA overwing-exit rules force Southwest to delete the window in the row ahead, and a 175-seat cap in the pilot contract means that missing seat costs the airline nothing. I’ll show exactly where to find these seats, why they exist, and how other airlines like American and Delta have their own versions too.
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 »
