Passengers on a Southwest flight from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale were told to put their heads down and hands up after the 737 diverted to Atlanta and armed officers boarded to remove a passenger. After hours on the ground and a full security sweep, the FBI said there was no credible threat and no charges would be filed, and the flight eventually continued to Florida in the early morning hours.
American Express is offering one of the biggest bonuses we’ve seen on its premium business card. The Business Platinum Card now comes with 200,000 Membership Rewards points after $20,000 in spending, along with Centurion Lounge access and hundreds of dollars in annual travel credits.
A parent’s viral “painter’s tape hack” to keep a toddler busy by letting them stick and re‑stick tape all over their seat and tray on an American Airlines flight has ignited internet debate—some call it ingenious, while others say it’s inconsiderate and messy.
Marriott’s long-running embarrassment in St. Croix — the Carambola Beach Resort, stripped of its Renaissance flag and notorious for filthy conditions — may finally be heading for a shutdown. A government-backed, roughly $50 million redevelopment plan is moving through the U.S. Virgin Islands legislature, even as the hotel remains bookable and the deal still isn’t fully final.
Southwest is now charging for seats, but passengers report that even after paying for premium emergency-row seating they’re still not allowed to slide into an empty seat when the cabin has open rows.
Plus, the JFK AirTrain price goes up again, American flyers gripe about ads before onboard Wi-Fi, and there’s a 20,000-mile AT&T switching promo.
Dubai International briefly suspended flights again after another Iran-linked incident near the airport, prompting diversions to Al Maktoum before Emirates resumed operations shortly afterward. In a notable shift, Tehran is now publicly signaling de-escalation, apologizing to neighboring states and saying these cross-border strikes will stop unless Iran itself is attacked—after repeated hits on civilian infrastructure started raising the risk of a wider regional coalition against it.
American’s long-haul schedule plans for next winter show exactly what the new Airbus A321XLR is for: keeping marginal transatlantic routes viable when winter demand collapses by right-sizing capacity and leaning premium-heavy. The result is fewer widebody winter losses and more “extended season” Europe flying out of hubs like Philadelphia and JFK, as American uses the smaller jet to stretch routes that couldn’t support a 787 year-round.
United flight attendants haven’t had a raise in 5.5 years, and inflation has quietly taken a big bite out of what their pay is worth—so the tone shift this week is notable. The union says a final agreement is now close enough that it’s postponing a planned protest day, while United is telling crews the deal will deliver industry-leading pay, signing bonuses, and progress on “sit pay” and other long-running priorities.
A viral check-in video from a Sheraton in suburban Atlanta shows a manager refusing to honor a guest’s reservation because she arrived with a dog she says is a service animal. When police arrive, the hotel keeps repeating “no pets,” and the officer has to explain the basic point: service animals aren’t pets under disability law, and a blanket no-pets policy doesn’t end the conversation.
We’re living in an era where the brand is the product, not just the logo—and Delta understood that earlier than any U.S. airline. The point isn’t that Delta runs more ads; it’s that Delta has spent a decade building a story about who it serves and what it stands for, and that narrative makes customers pay a premium while giving employees a clearer North Star for decisions.
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 »
