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 »

American Airlines About to Drop a Big List of New Routes and Network Changes

by Gary Leff

american plush airplane
Aug 07 2019

I’ve previously predicted Chicago – Krakow and Philadelphia – Casablanca so I’ll still with those. (They weren’t final by any means when I heard about them.) Since there’ll be several routes announced there should be something from the Qantas JV, it’ll include Europe changes, and also bundle small ball North America stuff. I expect that changes will probably be less heavy in South America – even though airline President Robert Isom just made a trip there – pending the LATAM joint venture.

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Asia Fare War, Several U.S. Cities to Several Asian Destinations From $305 Roundtrip

by Gary Leff

Aug 06 2019

There seems to be a major fare war that’s just dropped between the U.S. and Asia.

Departures are available from at least New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Las Vegas (and possibly other cities) to places including Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo. Prices start at just $305 roundtrip and deals are available on airlines in all three alliances.

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Worst Airplane Seat Ever: Passenger Photographed in ‘Backless’ Seat

by Gary Leff

easyjet
Aug 06 2019

Whenever Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has been out of the news for awhile he suggests charging passengers to use the lavatory or squeezing more passengers into planes by making them all stand up throughout flight. His message is that they keep costs down and flying with them is cheap.

However Ryanair’s primary competitor, easyJet, is reported to have beaten them to the punch with ‘backless seats’.

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When Things Go Wrong With an Airline, It’s the Whole Industry That Suffers

by Gary Leff

southwest plane
Aug 05 2019

David Dao getting dragged off of a United Express flight was a worldwide moment. It focused attention on involuntary denied boardings. It generated outrage. And United, Delta and American all looked closely at their approach. United’s stock recovered quickly, passenger numbers held, and the airline continued to grow. Two years later United suffers no drag at all from David Dao, but it’s the industry that has shifted.

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A New Way to Describe Elites Rushing the Gate to Board

by Gary Leff

Why Charlotte Needs Another American Airlines Admirals Club
Aug 05 2019

There are all sorts of tales and frustrations around passengers crowding the boarding line. Those who line up early, blocking the way for passengers in early boarding groups, are sometimes derisively referred to as “gate lice.” The sort of passenger who doesn’t know the drill, that it isn’t time for them to board yet, is the once a year (at most) flyer sometimes referred to as a “kettle” (as in ‘Ma’ and Pa’ Kettle).

But Ms. Blumenthal turns this elitism on its head, offering us the platinum push off to describe the elite who knocks everyone out of the way as their boarding group is called. Her husband, she says, is a master.

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Paroled Drug Addict Goes to Court to Defend Right to Harass Women Inflight

by Gary Leff

southwest plane aisle
Aug 05 2019

Back on October 16 a man flying Southwest from Los Angeles to Dallas claimed to be flirting, playing footsie with his seat opponent, and even argued that she had come on to him. She asked for a new seat though, and he got up and followed appearing to keep up his romantic pursuit.

The man, who was released on parole days before the flight, had overdosed on heroin three days prior to travel and used used methamphetamine just the day before.

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Can You Fly and Virtue Signal Concern for the Environment at the Same Time?

by Gary Leff

sulfur dioxide emissions
Aug 05 2019

Hotels encourage you to fly out for a stay while they replace single use plastic toiletries with bulk wall mounted shampoo, and offer to let you skip housekeeping, telling you these cost saving measures are out of their concern “for the environment.”

The Dutch government wants to ban flights between Brussels and Amsterdam for the environment since apparently it’s more environmentally friendly to connect at Heathrow or Frankfurt.

Ponder whether you should fly at all, while you continue to have kids and eat meat…

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