A Hyatt elite member says two properties recently offered a blunt tradeoff: keep a suite, or keep the guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout. At the Park Hyatt Saigon and Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, they were told to pack up at noon and move into a “courtesy room” to stay until 4 p.m.—raising the question of whether Hyatt is honoring the benefit, or quietly redefining what “4 p.m. checkout” is supposed to mean.
Riyadh Air is being pitched as Saudi Arabia’s new premium global airline, but it can’t serve alcohol because Saudi law still prohibits it. What most people miss is why that rule exists: it wasn’t imposed for religious reasons so much as triggered by a royal family scandal after a drunk prince shot and killed a British diplomat .
Delta CEO Ed Bastian says civility declined because airfares dropped enough for “the masses” to fly—but he’s overlooking the real triggers: crowded cabins, pandemic stress, and shifting passenger norms. Here’s what the data really reveals about onboard conflicts.
I wasn’t sure I’d feel at home at a ‘female empowerment hotel’ – but Hotel Zena (1) gave me a suite as a status upgrade, and (2) has a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that’s just awesome.
The three largest U.S. airlines now control Republic Airways, a key regional operator that flies for all of them. The FAA Administrator, former Republic CEO, still owns shares in the airline he regulates.
The FAA is locking down Palm Beach airspace for the holidays with a presidential flight restriction tied to expected Mar-a-Lago travel, in effect December 20 through January 4 and effectively closing the inner 10-mile ring to most private flying. Getting into Palm Beach International requires TSA-style screening at one of five gateway airports and nonstop, ATC-controlled operations, while flights that can’t meet those rules—like JSX’s Westchester–Palm Beach—are being pushed to reroute.
A TikTok from a Hilton in Cancun shows red and green LEDs above guest room doors—lights that appear to indicate whether someone is inside. These systems can combine door sensors, motion, and timing rules to infer occupancy. That data belongs on a staff dashboard, not displayed in the hallway for anyone walking by.
American is talking up a “premium” future, but passengers keep posting the basics falling apart—broken tray tables, dirty cabins, and even duct tape holding things together up front. Also in today’s roundup: a reminder that Delta’s “premium” image doesn’t always match reality, why Iceland airport “nationality clicking” is just a departure survey, a United credit-card ad that pauses someone’s movie, a pilot who drew a Nativity scene in the sky, dark web chatter about stolen loyalty accounts, and American buying into Republic Airways.
DOT Secretary Sean Duffy launched a campaign lecturing travelers on etiquette, blaming passenger behavior for inflight frustrations. Yet he conveniently ignores far bigger problems—including airlines shielded from accountability, TSA-induced travel stress, and, ironically, his own boss’s famously poor manners.
Alaska Airlines staff refuse to let her fly after she shows up with two big cats in a single underseat carrier and insists she has “done this for years.” She escalates into a “you are ruining Christmas” rant, demands to be shown the policy “where I booked,” and argues there’s no restriction—while the agents tell her the cats don’t have enough room and she’d need separate carriers (and effectively, another underseat space).
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 »
