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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BUSTED: TSA Ordered Employees – In Writing – Not to Comply With Government Investigations

Aug 30 2017

The TSA is a lawless agency. They ignore valid orders by federal judges. They fine people that have already been cleared by the courts. They even argue explicitly that they’re above the law.

So it should come as no surprise that the Department of Homeland Security’s own Inspector General found that the agency’s obstruction of its investigations isn’t just incompetence, it’s intentional.

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Alaska Airlines Inks Frequent Flyer Partnership With Singapore Airlines Starting Next Month

flight attendants posing
Aug 30 2017

Virgin America is set to lose is Singapore Airlines partnership on September 30 as part of the Alaska Airlines merger. The Virgin America Elevate frequent flyer program is winding down as it prepares to be integrated into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

However news is out this morning that Alaska and Singapore have inked a partnership. Reciprocal mileage-earning starts September 27, with redemption to follow.

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The Shocking Reason This American Airlines Flight Ran Out of First Class Snacks

Aug 29 2017

I’m not sure I’ve ever been on an American Airlines flight where the first class snack basket was empty. Flight attendants on non-meal flights may not make a second pass with the snack basket, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone denied a second snack either if they asked.

On a recent American Airlines flight, though, the flight attendant working first class told passengers that they had run out of snacks.

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Chase Has a Big New Restriction on Who Can Apply for Sapphire Cards

credit cards
Aug 29 2017

Chase has shared new rules for its Sapphire cards with their branch bankers.

There are (3) different Sapphire cards — the no annual fee Sapphire, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. Presently it’s been possible to have more than one of those. Going forward you won’t be able to apply for one of these cards if you already have one of the others.

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Air India’s San Francisco Flight Delayed 9 Hours Due to Rats

air india plane
Aug 29 2017

Two years ago Air India discovered rats on a plane midway through a Mumbai – London flight. Rats usually come onboard via catering trucks, and rats were found after breakfast had been served on departure. And the airline went ahead and served lunch once the flight turned back to Mumbai.

Now we have another Air India flight with a rat. This one was discovered prior to takeoff of flight AI173 Delhi – San Francisco on Sunday.

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