A longtime reader who owned a hotel decided to test something most properties assume never happens: what old key cards can still open long after checkout. Across Marriott, Hyatt, and Westin—at airport and city hotels alike—his months-old cards kept unlocking lounges, gyms, and even elevator access. The results say far more about how these systems are actually configured than hotels would ever admit.
A video went viral after an Air Canada passenger claimed her inflight meal was six months expired, pointing to packaging labeled “05/11/2025” and “06/11/2025.” The issue: she read the dates using the U.S. month/day format instead of the day/month format used by Canada and most of the world.
Delta and SAS are offering rare sub-$2,000 roundtrip business class fares to Europe, with prices in the $1,600s to cities like Rome, Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen. The sale is wide open from January through May 2026, includes Saturday-night stays, and is bookable through December 2 unless pulled earlier.
A Southwest Airlines passenger says the carrier refused to let her service dog fly for free after staff claimed the dog had an “accident” in the terminal. She disputes that anything happened and says Southwest told her she’d need to pay a $150 pet fee and place the dog in a carrier instead.
A passenger on KLM’s Atlanta–Amsterdam flight called 911 from his seat to report a gun on board. There wasn’t one. But before police could respond he opened the 777’s exit door while the aircraft was taxiing, blowing the slide and forcing the entire flight to be canceled.
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Hyatt has quietly gone live on Rakuten, letting members earn 12× points or 12% back on stays while still receiving full Hyatt points, elite-night credit, and elite benefits. It’s one of the richest stacking opportunities Hyatt has ever had—and it pairs with Rakuten’s ability to convert earnings into Amex or Bilt points.
An internal email shared with employees indicates that New Pacific Airlines—formerly Northern Pacific—has now shut down for good. After failed Anchorage–Asia ambitions, multiple rebrands, short-lived domestic service, and the collapse of affiliated Ravn Alaska, the long-struggling startup appears to have reached the end of the line.
It’s hard to say what’s worse—the bare feet or the confidence. One Basic Economy passenger turned his neighbor’s armrest into a personal spa, opening what can only be described as The Athlete’s Foot Lounge mid-flight. If you thought you’d seen the limits of bad passenger behavior, there’s always another level.
Tara Reid was in Chicago for a celebrity signing when she says a single drink at the O’Hare DoubleTree bar left her unable to stand, captured on lobby video repeatedly slipping from a wheelchair before paramedics rushed her to a hospital. She later woke up with no memory of the night and has now filed a police report saying her drink was spiked.
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 »
