A widely shared video shows a woman insisting her claustrophobia and a doctor note entitle her to three free economy seats, accusing the airline of discrimination when agents tell her she has to pay for them. Here is what actually happens in the call, how disability law and airline policies really treat requests for extra space, and why the internet overwhelmingly sides with the airline.
A front desk worker at an IHG Avid Hotel in Austin told a Black woman she did not look like a guest, then called police when she ate the free breakfast. She says she was staying on IHG points and was singled out while white guests around her were left alone.
American Airlines is raising first checked bag fees on short haul international flights, including Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Guyana, to $40each way starting Monday.
The woman whose Southwest meltdown at a Denver gate went viral last week is back in a new video – this time screaming at another passenger on board. Same airline, same passenger, second meltdown.
Spirit Airlines has landed back in bankruptcy and is now facing securities fraud claims from investors who say the carrier overstated its turnaround prospects after emerging from its first restructuring. As usual in these cases, the only clear winners appear to be the lawyers gearing up to litigate the airline’s latest collapse.
A bomb threat involving a single aircraft briefly halted arrivals into Philadelphia International Airport on Friday night. A passenger says it was her delayed Spirit flight from Las Vegas, that crew moved the woman who made the threat to the front of the cabin, and that police were waiting when they arrived.
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.
Ryanair is killing its new $91-a-year “Prime” loyalty program after just eight months, blaming the shutdown on being “too generous” to 55,000 subscribers. The numbers tell a different story: weak demand, bad unit economics, and a bundle that undercut the ancillaries Ryanair depends on for profit.
A JetBlue flight attendant turned the Thanksgiving bathroom line into something unexpected: a flying gratitude wall made of passenger napkins. Travelers wrote what they were thankful for – family, survival, second chances – and the galley filled up with handwritten notes, echoing earlier “Words From A Window Seat”-style acts of in-flight kindness.
Aviation insiders say an airworthiness directive may soon require software updates across the Airbus A320 fleet after investigators linked a JetBlue incident—where the aircraft entered a sudden uncommanded descent—to a faulty ELAC computer. Any grounding is expected to be short and staggered, with airlines updating the systems plane-by-plane to avoid major disruption.
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 »
