United announced another Chicago capacity build-up on the morning of American’s earnings call, adding new frequencies after American rolled out new ORD routes last week. The timing is the point: flood the market, pressure its rival to back down, and avoid a long, money-burning capacity war.
Witney Carson says that on a Delta Sydney–Los Angeles flight, a flight attendant repeatedly shushed her 2-year-old son after a passenger up front complained they were trying to rest. Carson pushed back, asking whether the airline has designated quiet times and arguing that expecting a toddler to sit silently for 13 hours is unrealistic—kicking off the familiar debate over noise, parenting, and premium-cabin expectations.
I used to avoid Citi Travel because prepaid portal bookings often don’t earn hotel points or elite benefits. But with Citi Strata Elite’s $300 annual hotel credit and 12x earning on Citi Travel bookings, I started price-checking—and I’m seeing something surprising: Citi Travel sometimes undercuts “book direct” member rates, not just other OTAs.
Hyatt Regency Aruba can be an outrageous points value over peak dates—especially with a confirmed suite upgrade and Globalist breakfast at a resort where cash rates can hit four figures. The catch is that it runs like a resort factory: if you want decent beach or pool chairs you need to reserve in advance and be there by 9 a.m., and the stay can come with real operational friction even when the location and room deliver.
Delta is now selling upgrades for as little as $19—less than a checked bag fee—which tells you exactly why elite “upgrade” status feels increasingly pointless. Also in today’s roundup: United first class drama, planes that look like they aren’t being cleaned, a ceiling collapse at an Embassy Suites, tipping fatigue, and American’s free Wi-Fi rollout.
A Delta Sky Club worker at LAX is seeking class action status in a lawsuit claiming employees should be paid for time spent waiting in TSA screening before they can reach their workplace. But TSA screening is controlled by the government, not Delta (or Compass) so even California law makes treating federally-mandated security as paid work time likely.
On a five-hour flight with no real meal service, one family came prepared—bringing bread, deli meat, cheese, greens, and condiments and turning multiple tray tables into a midair sandwich assembly line. It’s hard not to admire the planning (and the effort to avoid soggy premade sandwiches), though it raises obvious questions about tray-table hygiene, TSA rules for sauces, and the mess an inflight deli can leave behind.
Andrew Tate tried to flex about skipping a private jet before boarding Delta “first class” en route to Emirates—and then posted a rant acting shocked by what he got. The irony is the point: his brand is competence and winning, but he’s melting down over a basic travel decision that any frequent flyer would understand, turning a status signal into a public self-own.
More than a third of U.S. departing flights were already canceled today, with Washington and New York airports effectively wiped out and Philadelphia near total shutdown. It’s not a record—pandemic-era schedule cuts were even worse—but the airline-by-airline data shows how quickly cancellations are cascading, and Monday’s schedule is already starting to unravel too.
One of the quiet tells of “real” first class used to be simple: the crew would offer to hang up your jacket. Now, even when there’s closet space, it can mean flagging someone down, waiting, and hoping they remember to bring it back before you deplane. A United flyer is complaining about exactly this, while my own experience is that Delta still gets it right more often than most—especially compared to the increasingly transactional service culture at U.S. airlines.
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 »
