Southwest will end its wheelchair-boarding advantage on January 26 when assigned seating takes effect. That change removes the incentive to preboard for early seat selection, but it doesn’t touch the real reason unneeded wheelchair requests have exploded across airlines.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Los Angeles World Airports has approved $1.5 billion for a new 4.4-mile road into LAX — a per-mile price tag that’s several times higher than what similar highway or airport projects typically cost. The comparison with other U.S. airports makes one thing clear: this isn’t remotely normal.
I got my card when the offer was just 80,000 points and I was super happy with that. I only wish I’d waited until right now to apply, because the limited time launch offer for the card has actually been improved upon.
Travelers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport spotted a tip box sitting on a TSA checkpoint table — something federal employees are strictly prohibited from soliciting or accepting. Cash tips violate federal ethics rules, TSA’s own code of conduct, and even criminal statutes governing gifts to government workers, making the setup flatly illegal.
More people are being kicked out of Global Entry than approved, and nearly 40% of those who challenge the decision get reinstated. DHS often won’t disclose the reason for a revocation, leaving travelers to appeal blind — and the high reversal rate suggests many removals never should have happened in the first place.
Senator Elizabeth Warren argues that rising premium-cabin travel shows growing inequality, but the data tells a very different story. Airlines have expanded premium seating and cut upgrade prices, making those products more accessible than ever—even as Warren herself regularly flies on private jets.
A fellow passenger photographed Congressman Brad Sherman on a United flight with sexualized images visible on his iPad, prompting the California Democrat to give an unusual interview about the incident. Sherman admits he looked at the posts, says they appeared in his “For You” feed, and added that he tends to ‘look at photos of women longer than sunsets.’
A Frontier Airlines passenger was removed from a flight after wearing a shirt that said “All Coochies Matter,” but video from onboard shows the real issue wasn’t the slogan — it was his confrontation with a flight attendant after another passenger complained. Frontier’s contract allows removal for lewd or objectionable clothing, but the captain’s decision ultimately came after the exchange with crew.
The Trump administration has formally withdrawn the Biden administration’s plan to require airlines to pay cash compensation for flight delays — a rule that was never close to becoming real. Despite two years of headlines, DOT never issued an actual proposal, never established legal authority, and never moved beyond an advance notice of proposed rulemaking.
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 »
