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 »

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Now Budget Airlines Want A $2.5 Billion Taxpayer Bailout — With Government Ownership Across The Industry

Apr 27 2026

The proposed Spirit rescue is no longer just about one failing airline. Budget carriers are now pitching a $2.5 billion taxpayer relief program that could leave the government owning stakes across the low-cost sector, turning a dubious bailout into a much bigger attempt to socialize losses across an industry that has not solved its underlying problems.

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Spirit Airlines Didn’t Die Because Biden Blocked The JetBlue Merger

Apr 26 2026

The simple story about Spirit Airlines is that the Biden administration killed the carrier by blocking JetBlue’s bid to buy it, but that is too neat and mostly wrong. Spirit was already failing because its costs rose, its product stopped matching what customers wanted, and the antitrust move that really undercut any plausible rescue came earlier, when the government killed JetBlue’s alliance with American.

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Starting May 1, American Airlines Will Require Power Banks To Stay Visible During Flights

Apr 26 2026

American Airlines is changing its portable charger policy on May 1, requiring power banks to stay visible and within reach during flights instead of hidden in bags or overhead bins. The airline will also cap passengers at two power banks each and ban recharging them onboard, part of a broader push to make battery fires easier for crews to spot and contain.

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Passengers Take Selfies, Evacuate Swiss Flight With Bags In Hand After Engine Failure

Apr 26 2026

A Swiss flight bound for Zurich suffered an engine failure during takeoff in Delhi, forcing the crew to reject the departure, stop on the runway, and evacuate 228 passengers and four infants. As smoke poured from the aircraft, passengers still grabbed their bags, filmed the scene, and paused for selfies instead of getting clear as fast as possible.

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