An El Al flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv departed without 140 checked bags after they were vandalized with “Free Palestine” stickers, triggering a security alert and lengthy inspections at LAX. Authorities suspect an inside job by airport employees, and passengers landed in Israel without their luggage.
American Airlines is making bold moves, from new premium cabins and better meals to rolling back unpopular policies, yet CEO Robert Isom struggles to clearly articulate a vision—leaving employees, customers, and investors unsure of what exactly the airline aims to become.
A $13 Snickers at MGM Grand isn’t an outlier—it’s joined by $26 water, a $48 pizza, and even a $50 fee just to charge your laptop in a Las Vegas hotel room. Also in this roundup: Snoop Dogg’s credit card declined at the Winter Olympics, a new grocery price freeze pitch tied to lower credit card fees, and why shared airplane air vents lead to conflict.
Florida’s legislature just passed a bill renaming Palm Beach International Airport as “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” becoming the first major U.S. airport named for a sitting president. But changing airport signs doesn’t change habits—everyone flying into Palm Beach will likely keep calling it “Palm Beach” or “PBI.”
Comedian Jim Breuer bought first class tickets from Honolulu to Florida—but American Airlines bumped him down to coach so a deadheading pilot could have his seat. Breuer’s furious rant about American Airlines taking thousands of dollars for first class, only to give him a $400 downgrade refund, has reached hundreds of thousands of viewers in days. American’s contract allows bumping paid passengers for pilots flying transoceanic routes, but Breuer wants what he paid for: a first class flight.
Bilt’s new $795 Palladium card is already delivering in ways that matter: the 50,000-point bonus posts fast, Gold status locks in through early 2028, and with the right stacking strategy the card can generate 4X on everyday spend — turning routine purchases into outsized transfer value with partners like Alaska, Hyatt, and Air France-KLM.
A Manhattan hotel guest who paid $149 for a one-night stay at the historic New Yorker Hotel invoked a little-known rent law to argue he was entitled not just to a room — but to ownership of the entire 1,000-room property, filing deeds, contacting lenders, and attempting to seize control before an eight-year legal saga ended in a fraud conviction.
Are Singapore’s tourism authorities courting “passport bros” in a new campaign? Also San Francisco’s massive new 24,000-square-foot lounge project, Airbnb quietly testing loyalty perks, and hotel breakfasts facing cutbacks.
Hyatt is reportedly preparing a major overhaul of its loyalty program that could arrive as soon as next week, including higher award prices at top properties and the launch of a new $795 premium credit card designed to fast-track elite status. If accurate, the changes would expand the award chart to new higher tiers while making free night certificates more flexible—reshaping how members earn and redeem points going forward.
Hyatt is advertising this card bonus as 5 free nights, but the spend required to earn it also triggers the card’s annual Category 1–4 night and generates enough points for another award night. Put it together and the “5-night” offer can realistically turn into 7 nights at Category 1–4 Hyatt hotels.
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 »
