Scott Kirby used this week’s Airlines Confidential podcast to lay out, in rare detail, how his thinking as a leader has changed over the past two decades — and how that shift now shapes United’s strategy. It’s the clearest explanation yet of the pivot from spreadsheet-driven tactics to a product-focused vision he once dismissed.
A reader was upgraded to the Presidential Suite at the Hilton Branson Convention Center — and found a 13-year old mattress that’s well outside the brand’s own standards. Photos he shared also showed maintenance issues and worn furnishings, raising basic questions about quality control at a full-service Hilton.
A venture founder went online to brag that he coded for 30 hours straight on multiple flights because “rest is a deprecated feature.” The internet treated it as parody, but it’s a good moment to look at what frequent flyers actually know about working in airports and onboard — and why real productivity at 35,000 feet looks very different from hustle-culture mythology.
United has raised the price of close-in saver awards without warning. Routes that were 15,000 miles just days ago now price at 20,000 miles, a one-third increase that applies only within two weeks of travel and isn’t tied to cash fares.
A flight attendant says she looked up during the safety demo and saw her own face on a passenger’s phone, enlarged and already texted to someone else. In her TikTok, she explains exactly how she responded and why crew have limited options when they’re being recorded without consent in a confined cabin.
Amex has reloaded its Business Platinum with a 200,000-point bonus and richer perks across travel, hotels, and credits. Even with an $895 annual fee, the math still makes it a no-brainer for frequent travelers.
A Delta passenger boarded a flight carrying a meat cleaver at Portland Airport, undetected by TSA screeners—who now blame inadequate training as staff still await paycheck backlogs from the recent government shutdown. Here’s exactly how the security lapse happened and what TSA says it plans to do next.
Porsha Williams was removed from a Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta after an onboard dispute that led crew to request law-enforcement assistance. The flight continued normally, but police met the aircraft on arrival and escorted the Real Housewives star off the plane.
A reader staying at the Holiday Inn Oklahoma City Airport says he found what appeared to be mouse droppings near the vending machines and asked the hotel to cancel an upcoming prepaid reservation. The property refused, and IHG backed the decision, telling him that prepaid terms still apply. That leaves the guest stuck with a stay he no longer feels comfortable taking—an example of how non-refundable rates offer little protection when a hotel’s condition doesn’t match what the brand advertises.
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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 »
