Scott Kirby predicted United would push American out of Chicago O’Hare, but American is finally acting like a carrier with fight left—adding 100 peak daily departures and explicitly positioning the move as competition. The gate battle, a $30 million grab for two Spirit gates, and United’s immediate retaliation to new Chicago routes all point to the same thing: O’Hare is turning into a real schedule war.
Airlines don’t buy wine the way you do. They buy through tenders and through vendors that manage the unglamorous parts: forecasting, bonded supply, station-by-station distribution, substitutions, and even menu language and crew training. That’s why economy wine can land around $3 a bottle, while trophy First Class pours can run hundreds—and why both can still taste disappointing if they’re chosen (or served) without any thought to the inflight environment.
The Capital One Venture X 100,000-mile bonus is ending. With six months to earn the miles and premium perks like lounge access, travel credits, and transferable points, it’s easily one of the best card offers of the year.
A self-described Bilt investor is out with an unverified preview of what Bilt Card 2.0 could look like when the new Cardless-issued lineup is unveiled January 14, including rumors about how earning might change, whether benefits depend on Bilt status, and if the current five-transactions rule could be replaced by a minimum monthly spend requirement.
New York weather disruptions eased and competitors recovered, but Delta kept cancelling flights anyway—because it still couldn’t cover crews even after the storm was over.
A Southwest flight attendant is going viral for turning the soda cart into “Dirty Dr Pepper” and “Pink Drink” combos—and then telling passengers on longer flights to “put me to work” and keep her entertained.
Also in today’s roundup: American’s current Summer 2026 A321XLR/787-9 premium route plan, a Sapphire Reserve dining-credit tracker (with gift-card reimbursement datapoints), and a Bilt 2.0 partner-coupon leak.
A United Airlines regional jet departing Houston got an automated collision warning seconds after takeoff when another aircraft on the parallel runway turned the wrong way into its departure path. The crews were still low and close enough that the United flight reported a TCAS resolution advisory, the last line of defense designed to prevent midair collisions.
Your premium rewards cards come with a pile of credits, and as the year ends a lot of them are about to go unused. Here are practical ways readers are cashing out Chase, Amex, and Citi perks right now—even if you have no interest in the merchants the benefits are supposed to steer you toward.
Former President Joe Biden was spotted boarding an American Airlines flight in Miami headed to St. Croix—standing in the same queue as everyone else, with only a low-key law enforcement escort. It is a refreshingly normal post-presidency moment, right down to an on-time operation.
A Breakout clip watched on a single private jet flight in 2013 kicked off a chain reaction—Google snapped up DeepMind, Musk responded by building OpenAI, and the modern AI arms race was born.
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 »
