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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What are the best Frequent Flyer awards?

A current discussion on Flyertalk got me thinking about what the very best loyalty program award values are. In general, the very best values come from redeeming points for international business and first class travel. Beyond that general advice, there are a few specific awards that just seem to me to offer the very best for the fewest number of miles. Mexicana’s Star Alliance awards from the U.S. and Canada to Hawaii. You can flying from anywhere in the US and Canada to Hawaii in First Class using 40,000 Mexicana Frecuenta miles. In contrast, United — the airline you’re most likely to be flying for this award — requires 60,000 miles for a first class ticket to Hawaii. What’s more, you can redeem American Express Membership Rewards points for Mexicana Frecuenta miles. (You can’t redeem…

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This piece of “news” just emailed to me

At Heathrow Airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a compass, a protractor, and a graphical calculator. Authorities believe she is a member of the notorious al-Gebra movement. She is being charged with carrying weapons of math instruction.

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Non-news

Delta wants to fly to the currently unused Detroit City Airport — but only if the government will give them money from a grant program that the airport probably doesn’t qualify for anyway.

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Man Gets Life in Prison for Spitting

I do hope the state courts overturn this verdict. (Link via the Volokh Conspiracy.) An Oklahoma man arrested on suspicion of beating his wife faced year in prison and a fine. But when he spit in an arresting officer’s face, he got a life sentence instead, officials said Wednesday. John Carl Marquez, 36, was convicted of “placing bodily fluid upon a government employee,” a felony that can carry a life sentence because of the possibility of transmitting a potentially deadly disease. State judge April Sellers White sentenced Marquez this week even though Marquez and the officer tested negative for any communicable disease.

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