Delta just sold a first-class seat for $37—which tells you everything about how little “upgrades” are worth when the airline can monetize the cabin instead. Also in today’s roundup: basic-economy behavior at its finest, a rare case where a hotel service charge actually pays out to staff, an “infinite money glitch” casino-chip joke, an ICE protest tactic targeting rental cars, and more American Airlines nonsense.
Chase brought back a huge bonus on the IHG One Rewards Premier Card: 175,000 points after $5,000 in spend in three months. The $99 card is also a long-term keeper thanks to the annual free night (with top-off), 4th night free on award stays and Platinum status.
Delta says it is introducing a new “Basic Business” fare that strips out things that used to come standard in the premium cabin. What’s widely misunderstood is that this isn’t a new cheaper business class price point. It’s new restrictions on the lowest business fares so Delta can sell last minute seats to price-sensitive travelers without offering the same deal to customers who would have paid more money. Passengers buying the least expensive business class tickets will have an inferior experience compared to what they get today.
Most Amex points don’t get used for travel—they’re redeemed for gift cards, statement credits, and shopping, which keeps Amex’s average redemption cost low and makes the best travel redemptions possible for everyone else. Also: Delta’s new Sky Club plans, “straight to jail” travel content, It’s Always Marriott, a DOT frequent flyer authority critique, and the GLP-1 airfare angle.
Capital One’s Venture Rewards is one of the simplest high-value miles cards: a $95 annual fee and unlimited 2x on everything, with the option to redeem against travel or transfer to airline and hotel partners. Right now it has a standout limited-time offer—75,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in spend plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first year.
On a late-night flight with the cabin dark and most passengers asleep, a flight attendant says he stepped on something in the aisle, tried to step over it, and accidentally kicked it—only to hear a baby cry and realize a parent had put the child on the floor to sleep. Beyond the obvious shock factor, a “baby in the aisle” is a serious egress and safety problem: it turns the main evacuation path into an obstruction, and turbulence or a drink cart can turn a bad idea into a catastrophe.
New “revitalize Dulles” renderings are in after a DOT request. For now it’s all concept work, not an approved project, but it tees up a real fight over who controls Dulles modernization, how it gets funded, and naming politics.
Subway is running a one-day promo timed to Southwest’s shift to assigned seating: fly in an airline middle seat on Tuesday, snap a same-day “middle seat” selfie, and you can get a $20 Subway gift card while supplies last. You don’t even have to show your face—just enough of the row to prove you’re truly stuck between two seats.
A Mercedes sedan drove through the glass entry doors at Detroit Metro and into the Delta departures lobby, slamming into the check-in area and sending debris across the terminal.
Southwest Airlines is back in dress-code drama after a passenger accused a flight attendant of telling her to “pull your shirt up” before she could fly, saying the comment singled out her body and birthmarks.
The clash is awkward for an airline that built its brand on LUV and once leaned into cheeky marketing—and it highlights the core problem with airline attire rules today: they’re vague, discretionary, and enforced unevenly from one crew member to the next.
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 »
