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 »

People Pay More to Fly Delta for One Simple Reason

by Gary Leff

delta check in airport
Sep 05 2018

Delta’s Executive Vice President and CFO Paul Jacobson spoke this morning at the Cowen and Company Global Transportation Conference. He put up a standard Delta chart showing that customers like the airline more than their competitors, and so customers are willing to spend more to fly Delta.

Jacobson offered this startling statistic. Delta had 5000 cancellations due to maintenance in 2010 and this year there will be “fewer than 100.” He says that’s “down 99% since 2010.”

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Emirates Flight Quarantined at New York JFK With Sick Passengers On Board

by Gary Leff

ambulance outside plane
Sep 05 2018

Emirates flight EK203 from Dubai to New York JFK landed this morning and was been placed under quarantine awaiting a response from the Centers for Disease Control.

Immediately reaction on twitter suggested possible terror, or pandemic, however such speculation is premature at best. So far there are no reports of other flights with similar issues, or of similar illnesses being reported at the Dubai airport or in Dubai more generally.

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American Relaxes Basic Economy Restrictions Today, Admits It Was All About Making You Pay More

by Gary Leff

airline cabin
Sep 05 2018

American Airlines Basic Economy fares are highly restrictive. The purpose of these fares is to make the travel experience worse, in hopes that you will spend more money to avoid them. However they need to balance that with the risk that you will just give up on them and choose to fly someone else instead.

American Airlines President Robert Isom, speaking at the Cowen and Company Global Transportation Conference, admits that “the premise of basic economy, it wasn’t a price cut…[but] an upsell.”

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Patience Over For Marriott-Starwood Integration: Lifetime Status Must Be Re-Earned Each Year?

by Gary Leff

marriott promo
Sep 04 2018

IT is hard. No IT project ever has come in early or under budget. Things take longer than you think they will even accounting fro the fact that you know they’ll take longer than you think they will. However Marriott chose the date. August 18th. It was self-imposed.

It’s now been two and a half weeks. It’s past Labor Day. People are back at work, business travelers are about to start getting back on the road. The reasonable amount of patience that members have given has pretty well been exhausted.

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Airport VIP Meet and Greet, Priority Immigration Just Got a Lot Cheaper

by Gary Leff

airport bridge
Sep 04 2018

There are premium airport departure, connection and arrival services that you can buy all over the world. Some are offered by airlines, others by airports, and some by third party services. In fact it isn’t even always clear which is which.

I’m a fan of these offerings, but I like to see them affordable. I think that a meet and greet buggy service at under $50 for 2 people in Bangkok, including assistance from plane through immigration and with baggage claim (with handover to your transportation into the city) is a real value that more travelers would take advantage of if they were aware of the service.

At first world prices though it’s strategically useful to be aware of the option but not something most readers will take advantage of. Still it’s nice to see this option at a lower price than many vendors offer in Europe, and for less than the airlines are offering in the U.S. as well.

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Hyatt Under Fire for Hosting “Anti-Muslim Hate Group” But Are Boycotts Warranted?

by Gary Leff

meeting set up in hyatt
Sep 04 2018

At the end of the week Think Progress put out a piece critical of Hyatt for hosting the ACT for America conference at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. A petition with 100,000 signatures was delivered to Hyatt demanding they back out of providing a venue to the event this coming week.

I’m unfamiliar with the group, but they (along with half of America) are described by the Southern Poverty Law Center “as an anti-Muslim extremist and hate group.”

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Flights to Africa With Amazing Business Class Award Pricing

by Gary Leff

world map
Sep 03 2018

Royal Air Maroc is launching Miami – Casablanca service in April of next year. The flight will be operated 3 times a week with a Boeing 787. I believe this will be Miami’s only non-stop flight to Africa.

Here’s why you care. Business class awards are really easy to get, and really cheap, using miles you probably already have. And their business class seats are fully flat.

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