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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American Airlines Flight Threatened By Fighter Jets Because Man Brought Laptop Near the Lavatory

american plane
May 19 2017

American Airlines flight AA31, an Airbus A321 from Los Angeles to Honolulu, was escorted by F22 fighter jets today.

A man standing by the forward lavatory had his laptop with him. The man was “waiting for the bathroom” and “a flight attendant asked him to sit down.” Reportedly he “appeared to try the cockpit door before he was subdued.”

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35% Off Awards at Starwood’s Best Resorts is Back

May 19 2017

One of the best things about Starwood Preferred Guest is that they have many participating properties that are really nice, aspirational places where I really want to spend my points.

I make a lot of business stays at cookie cutter hotels domestically. I like to reward myself with special, unique stays which the points I earn make possible.

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Passenger Kicked Off American Airlines Flight After Asking Not to Be Seated Next to Large Dog

May 19 2017

Here’s a story from my Facebook feed this morning. It comes from a woman who flies American Airlines regularly (she’s a top tier Executive Platinum member). And she’s the kind of customer American likes.

Except she bought a business class ticket, and they kicked her off a flight after complaining about the large dog in a row behind her that “tried to jump on” her during boarding.

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American Airlines Improves 24 Hour Refund Policy

May 19 2017

American has been less generous than Delta or United who allow 24 hour refunds regardless of how far in advance you book travel. The Department of Transportation only requires offering 24 holds or refunds for travel purchased a week or more in advance.

Last year American went from the most generous policy to the least generous one, complying only with the minimum DOT standards.

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Earn Free Miles Every Time You Use Lyft for Ridesharing (and Earn With Uber, Too)

May 19 2017

Delta and Lyft have a new partnership. All SkyMiles members earn 1 mile per dollar spent with Lyft (and three miles per dollar on airport rides as a limited-time offer).

The nice thing about Delta-Lyft and Starwood-Uber is that earning is payment independent, so you can earn points for your ride and points for travel spend on your payment card.

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