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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DOT Approved The American Airlines-JetBlue Partnership (By Skipping Deadline To Object)

by Gary Leff

jetblue plane
Nov 30 2020

The two airlines submitted copies of their agreement to the Department of Transportation for review on July 22, 2020. The agreement didn’t just include codeshares and frequent flyer program tie ups as announced but also “long-term wet leases involving a substantial number of aircraft” – a wet lease provides not just planes but also crew.

The DOT gave itself until November 19th to offer objections or require concessions or modifications for approval. That deadline passed without the Department offering approval or objection, freeing the two airlines to enter into their partnership.

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Report: End Of The Line For American’s Premium Airbus A321T Transcon

by Gary Leff

airline cabin
Nov 30 2020

There are active discussions around what to do with the Airbus A321T premium configured fleet and a report suggests that there’s a plan to rip out the interiors and replace them with the standard domestic ‘Oasis’ offering.

The A321T offers 10 first class, 20 business class, 36 Main Cabin Extra (extra legroom coach) and 36 economy seats and is used on premium cross country routes. Moving to ‘Oasis’ would mean these planes would lose seat back television, a lot more seats would be squeezed in, and there would no longer be a lie flat business class or first class product.

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Amazing Amex Platinum Offer To Earn 210,000 Bonus Points (Or More)

by Gary Leff

amex platinum card
Nov 30 2020

American Express has a huge new offer for The Platinum Card® from American Express. In recent years the main offer has let customers earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points, and there have been targeted offers for more.

Now they have a public offer that may net you as much as 210,000 Membership Rewards points more than you’d normally earn for your spend on the card.

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Marriott Drops Award Prices To Off Peak At 90% Of Hotels For Stays Through February 28

by Gary Leff

outside marriott hotel
Nov 30 2020

Marriott is offering about 90% of their 7500 hotels at off peak redemption prices for bookings made by December 14 and stays through February 28, 2021.

A Marriott spokesperson says “Of the 90% of properties offering solely off-peak rates, about two—thirds of those properties had previously been offering a mix of rates during the promotional stay period.” And that just shows that Bonvoy has been gouging members for redemptions at a majority of its hotels.

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Man Attacks National Guard At San Juan Airport, Declares “It’s Gonna Be All On Social Media”

by Gary Leff

Nov 29 2020

Last Saturday evening a Puerto Rico National Guard soldier was attacked by an arriving passenger after the guardsman asked the man to wear a mask and fill out a Covid-19 health declaration. The man, who reportedly smelled of alcohol, objected to the mask and health form requirement – and other passengers and local health care workers in protective gear dove for cover to stay out of the way of his objections.

When the man was arrested he yelled, “It’s gonna be all on social media.” That’s true, but perhaps not in the exculpatory way he’d hoped.

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