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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Is It Wrong That Members of Congress Get Special Treatment from the Airlines?

May 29 2015

In dismissing Members of Congress signing a letter of support for US airlines against the Middle East carriers, the Business Travel Coalition’s Kevin Mitchel writes in The Hill, Members are allowed to double and triple book flights home from Washington and pay nothing week in and week out for multiple changes while, in contrast, ordinary citizens can pay hundreds of dollars to make just a single flight change. Airlines cultivate a cozy relationship with members through that practice as well as special reservations desks that begin the very exceptional treatment members receive throughout the entire travel experience. I’ve explained this before, of course. And I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it. Government fares are refundable and changeable anyway. That’s not inherently coddling of legislators in exchange for favors. The government is a huge…

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