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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When Can You Pick a New Flight During an American Airlines Flight Delay?

by Gary Leff

concessions
Nov 30 2019

Whenever there’s a flight delay I’ve been able to get agents – whether on the phone or in an Admirals Club – to get me rebooked. However being an Executive Platinum helps, having lounge access helps, and it can be difficult for many passengers to get through to an agent when flights go bad.

The airline has a tool to let customers rebook themselves onto new flights. It’s available on the website, using the airline’s mobile app, or at kiosks and launched two years ago. But when does the ability to rebook oneself onto a new flight become available?

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TODAY: KLM Flight Headed Back to Amsterdam After It Had Already Made It To North America

by Gary Leff

klm planes
Nov 28 2019

KLM’s Amsterdam – Mexico City flight turned around back to Amsterdam when it had already made it to North America on Thursday, sending passengers back to where they started.

If I were a passenger on the flight I certainly wouldn’t second guess the judgment not to take risks. However I’d hope to land somewhere closer to where I was headed.

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The Awkward Truth About Airbnb’s Effect on Rents

by Gary Leff

airbnb mobile
Nov 28 2019

Airbnb is politically unpopular in many cities. Opponents of the homesharing service are a mixture of hotel industry lobbyists and local residents who believe they pay higher rents because units that would otherwise be available to them are put on the market for tourists instead.

New research though shows that it isn’t the poor – least able to bear the burden of increased rents – suffering from Airbnb. According to a paper by Sophie Calder-Wang of Harvard (.pdf) the “increased rent burden falls most heavily on high-income, educated, and white renters, because they prefer housing and location amenities most desirable to tourists.”

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The Apple Card is a Stumble Step on the Road to Perfecting Artificial Intelligence Advertising

by Gary Leff

iphone 5s
Nov 28 2019

Major tech companies are moving into financial services because they think their ubiquity gives them the ability to succeed in an adjacent space, because they have strong brands, and because their tech focus allows them to appeal to a younger ‘new affluent’ demographic.

For the tech companies and issuers the biggest play is financial data.

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