A Marriott hotel got so tired of elite guests demanding free bottled water that it put up a blunt sign: you are not entitled to it. And while the message is rude, it is also basically correct—pointing to what’s wrong with how Bonvoy works.
A pilot’s engine failed mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing on Minnesota’s State Highway 89 crossing the Red Lake Reservation. The Red Lake Indian Tribe seized his plane, citing their own illegal 20,000-foot no-fly rule—despite clear federal preemption. But enforcing federal rights is costly and complicated, meaning the tribe’s actions might stand regardless of legality.
United has poured real money into Polaris wine, and it shows on today’s transatlantic menus. Flyers rave about the Catena Zapata “Argentino” Malbec, respect the Domaine Serene, and even the Laurent-Perrier Champagne feels like a deliberate premium signal—though the Whispering Angel rosé drags the lineup down.
The catch: substitutions, inconsistent catering, and limited crew wine knowledge often mean the cart doesn’t match the menu, and the food still can’t keep up.
American’s new Raven + Lily amenity kits are a real improvement—and the first in a while that do not feel cheap. The strange part is how little separates premium economy from Flagship First once you look inside the bag.
A Florida driver was arrested and spent the night in jail after a traffic stop over a rental car’s license-plate frame partially covering the first “S” in “Sunshine State.” Police later released him and apologized, saying the statute’s vague wording led them to believe the frame was illegal
A full-time TSA officer at Boston Logan is accused of collecting $47,526 in pandemic unemployment over 16 months while still working at the airport. Prosecutors say he repeatedly filed weekly certifications claiming he had no income, and he’s now charged with wire fraud.
Cases like this have surfaced repeatedly among TSA screeners, highlighting how pandemic programs prioritized speed and access—and made fraud easier to attempt and slower to catch.
A Marriott Titanium elite says a prepaid “Sonder by Marriott” booking on Marriott.com left him out $5,000+ after Sonder’s bankruptcy—while Marriott offered just 40,000 points and told him to call his bank. The problem: the bank’s system blocks disputes after 120 days. Here’s why that’s wrong for future travel—and the script to fix it.
Passenger Ankit Dewan says an Air India Express captain confronted him in the staff security line at Delhi Terminal 1 after he objected to crew cutting ahead, insulted him as “anpadh,” and then struck him near the frisking area, leaving him bloodied. Dewan also claims he was pressured to sign a letter agreeing not to pursue the incident so his family wouldn’t miss their flight.
Passengers boarded a Cancún-bound flight expecting a routine departure, but the captain instead barricaded himself in the cockpit and refused to operate the flight. He told those onboard the airline owed him more than five months of unpaid wages and per diems, turning a labor dispute into a 60–90 minute standoff.
Marriott has added in-app tipping, routing payments through a third-party processor—an escalation beyond the QR-code tip prompts that have spread through hotels since the pandemic. This isn’t really about guest convenience; it’s about shifting more of employee compensation onto customers so hotels can staff up while keeping wage costs (and owner expenses) down.
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 »
