Southwest Airlines has dominated my home airport in Austin, but I’ve long avoided flying them—not for their bag fees or the boarding process, but because their unreliable wifi crushed productivity. Now, Southwest is finally fixing their biggest problem by rapidly rolling out Starlink wifi, promising internet speeds in the air that rival your home network.
United Airlines is quietly giving away Silver elite status—a dramatic shift from traditional airline loyalty strategy—by pairing it directly with targeted credit card offers, signaling a bold new approach that could change how frequent flyer perks are earned industry-wide.
A bride-to-be recommended a non-union DoubleTree hotel for wedding guests. That triggered aggressive backlash from a Chicago union, which sent fake wedding invitations to guests, demanded website changes, and even confronted her at work.
The Bilt Palladium Card is already a powerhouse for turning housing payments into huge points—but here’s how savvy cardholders can creatively leverage home equity lines to earn an unmatched 4 points per dollar on everyday spending.
The FAA’s abrupt shutdown of El Paso airport wasn’t triggered by cartel drones, as officials initially implied—it was a drastic move to stop dangerous, uncontrolled drone operations by the U.S. military that endangered commercial flights.
American Express just slammed shut a popular loophole that let Delta cardholders easily turn hotel booking credits into cash—and has started reversing statement credits for cardmembers who try it.
An American Airlines flight was delayed due to a missing ‘no smoking’ sticker above one row—highlighting just how absurd airline regulations can be. Plus, why Americans stopped talking about Singapore, the TSA secretly monitoring your cash, and DOT’s strange obsession with architecture.
American Airlines is transforming O’Hare’s worst airline-operated lounge—a cramped, outdated space near the L gates—into a stunning, 10,000-square-foot Admirals Club. This upgrade isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a bold statement in American’s renewed commitment to Chicago and a direct response to United Airlines’ aggressive dominance at the airport.
In a nearly unprecedented move, the FAA abruptly shut down El Paso International Airport for 10 days, declaring it restricted “National Defense Airspace” without explanation—and even local officials were blindsided. Here’s what’s known so far, and what remains disturbingly unclear.
Southwest Airlines didn’t stumble into bag fees, basic economy, and paid seat assignments by accident—those changes were pushed by an activist investor demanding short‑term financial moves. Now that the damage is done and the stock has popped, that same investor is cashing out and giving up control, leaving Southwest to live with the consequences.
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 »
