Gary Leff - View from the Wing

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 »

More articles by Gary Leff »

British Airways Flight Crew Behaving Badly in Singapore

by Gary Leff on October 21, 2019

plane tails

Oct 21 2019

British Airways flight crew have a reputation for being some of the rowdiest in the world, and ‘things to tend to happen’ during Singapore layovers (Johannesburg, Las Vegas, Bangkok, and Nairobi are also well known trouble spots).

Over the summer it was a game of naked spin the bottle that got out of hand in Singapore. Two years ago it was crew running naked through hotel corridors, stealing fish.

Now during a Singapore layover “[s]ome of the crew got plastered, allegedly using drinks smuggled off the BA in-flight trolley” and this led to an altercation in the lobby and a suspension.

New: 25% Bonus on American Express Points Transfers to Air France KLM

by Gary Leff on October 21, 2019

klm planes

Oct 21 2019

American Express Membership Rewards is offering a 25% bonus on transfers to Air France KLM Flying Blue through November 30. You’ll need to log into your American Express account to see the bonus (otherwise it’ll show with the standard 1:1 transfer ratio).

I find that Air France’s availability and award pricing is very attractive for US-Europe flying.

A Simple Model to Understand Citi’s Mistake This Weekend With The AAdvantage Executive Card

by Gary Leff on October 21, 2019

world map in lounge

Oct 21 2019

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® had a glitch over the weekend where Citi’s website was showing $175 to add an authorized user instead of.. zero. This was a mistake, but it led to much concern over the future value of the card because the ability to give access to authorized users on the account for no extra charge is one of the best deals in all of travel.

The One Area Where American Airlines is Killing It

by Gary Leff on October 20, 2019

register

Oct 20 2019

I criticize many of the decisions that American Airlines leadership have made. They’ve managed to anger shareholders, employees, and customers alike. While racking up more debt and worse operating statistics than competitors they’ve also re-started their project to degrade the domestic product.

There’s one area though that they’ve performed at an outstanding level.

Updated Most Rewarding Cards For Your Spending

by Gary Leff on October 20, 2019

credit cards

Oct 20 2019

I often list the best signup bonuses, or lists of which card is best for which category of spending. But what are the best cards for ongoing spend, spend that isn’t needed to earn a signup bonus?

Hint: it isn’t an airline miles card, for two reasons. First you’re locked into earning miles with one airline rather than having points that transfer to a variety of airlines. But second and more importantly because they simply don’t earn the most points.

China Now Tells Airlines on Day of Departure if Passengers Can Fly

by Gary Leff on October 20, 2019

china memorial

Oct 20 2019

China now tells U.S. airlines whether or not China-bound U.S. citizens are allowed to board their planes. What’s new is an Interactive Advanced Passenger Information system (iAPI) that airlines are using to ask the Chinese government for permission to allow each of its passengers onto its China-bound flights. This system will also be used to determine whether a passenger is allowed to leave China.

Delta CEO Books His Own Travel, Goes to Denver 3 Times in a Week

by Gary Leff on October 20, 2019

Oct 20 2019

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Presidential Candidate Redeemed Delta Miles to Visit His Mistress

by Gary Leff on October 20, 2019

picture of hotel outside

Oct 20 2019

Mark Sanford is running for President in the Republican primary against Donald Trump. He is best known for disappearing for six days while serving as Governor of South Carolina. He had told staff he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He didn’t return calls from staff, or check in with his family on Father’s Day.

The World’s Impression of Singapore Comes From Singapore Airlines

by Gary Leff on October 19, 2019

Oct 19 2019

When Singapore Airlines gets media for its catering operations, or for its business class product (or first class!) it’s reaching potential customers, sure, but it’s reaching a broader audience that may never fly Singapore Airlines and may never visit Singapore. However it’s projecting the image of Singapore itself as high quality.

A significant amount of public perception of Singapore the country seems to come from Singapore the airline, even among people who have never flown the airline (or who fly it and merely connect through Changi airport).

Airlines Moving Closer to Personalized Pricing for Airfare

by Gary Leff on October 19, 2019

man in suit looking at computer screen

Oct 19 2019

While not in use today, the major company collecting and distributing airfares for airlines announced at their annual conference that they’re closer than ever to delivering true ‘dynamic’ airfares that are customized for each person searching for a trip. This is a new way for airlines to increase revenue, by delivering a different offer to each customer based on their willingness to pay.

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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 »

View from the Wing is a project of Miles and Points Consulting, LLC. This site is for entertainment purpose only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

Advertiser Disclosure: Many (but not all) of the credit card offers on the site are from banks from which we receive compensation if you are approved. Compensation does not impact the placement of cards in content. Banner advertising, in contrast, is paid for by advertisers (we do not directly control the banner advertising on this blog).

I don't include all US credit card offers available on this site. Instead, I write primarily about cards which earn airline miles, hotel points, and some cash back (or have points that can be converted into the same).

Editorial Note: The opinions, analyses, and evaluations here are mine and not provided by any bank including (but not limited to) American Express, Chase, Citibank, US Bank, Barclays or any other company. They have not reviewed, approved or endorsed what I have to say.

Comments made in response to posts are not provided or commissioned nor have they been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of any advertiser to ensure that questions are answered.

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