Gary Leff, Author at 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 »

Why Do Foreign Carriers Re-check Your Boarding Pass When You Enter the Aircraft?

by Gary Leff on January 22, 2020

Jan 22 2020

US airlines check your boarding pass before you enter the jet bridge, and that’s it — while many international airlines have flight attendants standing at the door of the aircraft who will look at your boarding pass again.

Flight attendants on most airlines around the world will see you’re on the right plane, direct you to the correct class of service, and tell you which side of the plane to proceed down in the case of a widebody. Although it’s common on single aisle aircraft as well.

The Official American Airlines Onboard Service Policy Guide

by Gary Leff on January 22, 2020

Jan 22 2020

Whether you get a meal or a snack on American Airlines depends on the route you’re flying and what cabin you’re in. In addition to the length of flight and whether you’re in first class or coach, some routes get ‘special treatment’ and better food options than others.

Here’s a simple listing, with handy charts, so you’ll know what sort of meal or snack to expect on your next flight.

Two Award Booking Requests Where I Failed to Deliver and One Where I Refused to Help

by Gary Leff on January 21, 2020

Jan 21 2020

We’ve had thousands of successfully booked awards. Things aren’t as easy as when I started. I once helped a family of 7 fly together non-stop roundtrip in Lufthansa first class. Getting started booking awards during the Great Recession with airline premium cabins empty and award space plentiful made it seem like this would always be easy.

Now it’s harder work, and there are more tradeoffs. Sometimes all we can offer are connections and a passenger will only fly non-stop. My job is to explain the tradeoffs and help a client make an informed decision. And my job is also to know when I can’t (or am not comfortable) helping someone and be straight with them about it up front.

Passengers Pulled Off Delta Flight Because Of Their Cell Phone’s Name

by Gary Leff on January 21, 2020

Jan 21 2020

Two passengers from Quebec were removed from a Delta regional flight in Detroit over their cell phone’s network name, “remote detonator.”

Passengers were kept on board the regional jet for more than three hours over the incident. People still haven’t learned, it seems, that actual NSA surveillance vans don’t have network names like “NSA Surveillance Van #15”

A TSA Screener Questioned Bill Nye The Science Guy

by Gary Leff on January 21, 2020

Jan 21 2020

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.