About Gary Leff

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 »

More articles by Gary Leff »

United Airlines Regional Jet Had A Near Miss After Takeoff In Houston—Another Jet Turned Directly Into Its Path

united planes runway
Dec 28 2025

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.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Cut Basic Economy Miles To Zero — Now It Is Saving Pennies To Lose Credit Card Customers

Dec 27 2025

American Airlines already cut basic economy mileage earning to zero, and it is a classic penny-wise move with a bigger hidden cost. The airline is giving up the cheapest hook it has to get price-sensitive flyers into AAdvantage and, ultimately, into its credit card funnel—the business that actually drives profits.

Continue Reading »

Bilt Card 2.0 Transition Plan Is Here — The Rules And Deadlines Every Cardholder Needs Before January 14

Dec 27 2025

Bilt Card 2.0 is finally moving forward, and the most important details are not the new perks — it is the transition rules and deadlines that determine what happens to your account. Here is what current cardholders need to know before January 14 to keep the upgrade seamless, avoid a hard credit pull, and understand what you get if you do nothing.

Continue Reading »

“You Are Just A Number, Not Royalty” — Marriott GM Shows Why Bonvoy Is Losing Value

Dec 27 2025

A Marriott general manager responded to an Ambassador member by sneering, “You are just a number, not royalty,” and the comment is revealing for reasons bigger than one employee’s attitude. Marriott’s only real asset is the Bonvoy loyalty program, and when franchise owners treat top elites as a nuisance instead of a profit center, they quietly erode the very thing that delivers customers to their hotels.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Is Spending Millions To Add Minutes To Flights — Cutting Misconnects Is How It Saves Money

Dec 27 2025

American Airlines is spending millions to add extra minutes to flight schedules, and it is not just to look better on on-time charts. At Dallas Fort Worth, where delays turn into missed connections and mishandled bags in a hurry, the math is straightforward: paying for a little slack up front can be cheaper than paying for recovery when the hub starts cascading.

Continue Reading »

Hertz Pulls A Seinfeld On Jason Priestley — Took The Reservation, Would Not Hold It [Roundup]

Dec 27 2025

News and notes from around the interweb: Hertz strands Jason Priestley just like in a Seinfeld episode. They knew how to take the reservation, they just didn’t know how to hold the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. (HT: Ryan) @slcairport… reserved a car @hertz and when we got there, no car… and they couldn’t tell me when they would have one… worst rental car experience I’ve ever had… and I’ve been a Hertz Gold member for 25 years… no more… View this post on Instagram A post shared by jason_priestley (@jason_priestley) When I arrived at an airport Hertz location that had dozens of customers waiting on cars, including numerous elite members, I didn’t rely on status. I slipped the clerk $20 and drove away in the only…

Continue Reading »