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 »

5 Ways You Can Fly First Class on Your Next Trip

by Gary Leff

back of airline seats
May 21 2018

Airline upgrades are almost exclusively done by formula, with little discretion allowed to gate or check-in counter agents.

The only time there may be wiggle room is when a flight is oversold, and while elite frequent flyers may get preference for moving up to a premium cabin, the most important priority is getting a flight out on time. Other than these “operational upgrades” though, upgrades are going to be based on published criteria – not who is nicest, who dresses best, or who asks.

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The Single Most Customer-Unfriendly Policy in Travel – And a Workaround

by Gary Leff

british airways plane
May 20 2018

Booking Qantas first class awards but not being able to find American Airlines space Austin – Dallas to connect to it reminded me that it’s worth reminding you of why this can be a huge headache when you travel (and not just because you have to buy a domestic flight when booking a ticket with miles) — but that there’s also something you can do to get around the hassle.

American Airlines has what I think is the single most consumer-unfriendly policy in travel. They won’t through-check bags on separate tickets.

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American’s New Domestic Product is So Bad Their CEO Won’t Fly It

by Gary Leff

back of airplane seats
May 20 2018

Back in November I flew American’s inaugural Boeing 737 MAX flight. The plane has American’s new interior that’s been controversial, offering less legroom than ever before. It’s the new standard domestic product for American.

American’s CEO Doug Parker thinks it’s weird that I broke the news he told employees in a closed session that he hasn’t flown the new 737 MAX even though it’s the carrier’s new standard domestic product for the whole fleet. Months later he still won’t say that he’s been on it.

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Truth About Hyatt’s New 15% Discount Rate

by Gary Leff

May 19 2018

Hotel chains want you to book directly through them because it costs them less to make a reservation themselves than it does to pay a commission to Expedia or other online travel sites (or travel agents).

Hyatt has a new attempt at this you need to know about — a 15% discount — but beware.

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