American’s first Airbus A321XLR entered commercial service, debuting its new Flagship Suite. But early reports from onboard suggest flight attendants can’t set the table or serve meals with the swing-out screens deployed—forcing repeated stow-and-serve cycles that make you wonder whether the service flow was ever tested.
A long-stay guest checked out of an e-sports hotel room in Changchun, China—and staff say they opened the door to a “garbage mountain,” with trash piled roughly a meter high and toilet paper stacked higher than the toilet. The hotel says it took three days to clear everything out and disinfect, but the damage was bad enough that the room still needs renovation.
A former United managing director claims he uncovered an aircraft-readiness data mismatch inside United’s flight-tracking tech and repeatedly escalated other safety-related issues — then was removed, terminated, and later blacklisted after complaining. Even if parts of the case turn on procedural deadlines rather than the merits, the allegations paint an unsettling picture of how safety concerns can be handled when they collide with internal politics.
Chase quietly cut Points Boost value on some The Edit hotel redemptions, dropping them from 2 cents per point to about 1.67. Now the bank says it will make Sapphire Reserve cardholders whole: book any The Edit property through Dec. 22, 2025, and Chase will credit back the points difference after the booking so you still net 2 cents per point.
Delta president Glen Hauenstein—widely seen as the architect of the airline’s premium push, pricing discipline, and SkyMiles economics—will step down at the end of February. Network chief Joe Esposito is being elevated to EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, inheriting the commercial machine Hauenstein built.
American briefly published a 2026 AAdvantage changes page, then pulled it after travelers started circulating screenshots. The leaked update suggests elite status thresholds stay the same, but Loyalty Point Rewards get reshuffled — with the 30% bonus at 100,000 points eliminated and several higher-tier perks swapped for merch credits, AA Vacations offers, and subscriptions.
Chase is walking back the guarantee that The Edit hotels always price at 2 cents per point, but it is offering a short-term fix: book any The Edit property through December 22, 2025 and Chase says it will credit you back to full 2x value even if the booking prices lower. There’s also an upside: Points Boost seems to be expanding on airfare, including JetBlue premium cabins at 2 cents per point and new 1.5 cent economy boosts across a wider set of airlines.
American just flipped basic economy with no warning: starting today those tickets earn zero AAdvantage miles, zero Loyalty Points, and no status credit for flying. It’s a sharp break from how American has used basic economy as the on-ramp into AAdvantage—and it’s likely to push price-sensitive flyers to stop engaging with the program entirely.
A lost jacket turned into a five-figure travel bill. After a British Airways passenger tweeted for help, scammers posing as BA support got his booking details, cancelled his return ticket, and the airline refused to reinstate it—quoting $17,511 to fly home.
‘Free’ $50 from Rakuten plus new Dallas airport gets its first airline, American Airlines and United catering, and the ying and yang of Capital One lounge food.
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 »
