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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Hawaii Service Used to Be So Glamorous United Airlines Offered Its Own Onboard Residence

man pointing to room in model united plane
Feb 14 2024

Hawaii service used to be something special. That isn’t really true anymore. It was an exciting development when Southwest Airlines added the state to its route map, especially for holders of the Companion Pass (designated companion flies for just the taxes whether you’re paying for your ticket with points or cash). But the product is standard Southwest — no meals or seat power — and the journey relatively long.

But did you know that Untied Airlines used to offer its own version of the modern Etihad Residence — a private stateroom on their Hawaii flights 70 years ago?

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How To Avoid ‘Getting Walked’ By A Hotel

Feb 13 2024

Many airlines, hotels, and rental car companies all ‘overbook’ meaning they sell more seats, rooms, and cars than they have. That usually works out just fine. They know some people will cancel or no show, and they want to use up all of their inventory.

Here’s what to expect if your hotel is overbooked, and how to avoid getting ‘walked’ in the first place.

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Woman Gets Off American Airlines Flight When The Vibrator In Her Carry-On Won’t Turn Off

Feb 12 2024

An American Airlines passenger in the bulkhead of first class boarded her aircraft, and her carry on bag began making a loud vibrating noise. My razor has done this. I open the bag (it’s generally in my laptop bag) and turn it off. Here she didn’t want the whole cabin to see what she was turning off, so she walked off the aircraft and back onto the jet bridge. There, you can see what it was that was vibrating.

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