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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Wow. A reference

Wow. A reference by Instapundit. Thanks, Professor! Instapundit readers, welcome. Bookmark this site and come back often for tips on flying first class for free, accumulating points for free travel, and other stuff.

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In my Winter 2002 Doublethink

In my Winter 2002 Doublethink article (pdf here, HTML here) I argued that our nation’s approach to terrorism was ultimately failed, because all of the security measures in the world will be unable to stop would-be terrorists. All of the civil liberties we give up in exchange for security will ultimately fail to make us safe. In the end, we will be both unsafe and unfree. In particular, I argued that airport security would simply move the target to the security and check-in line. Lo and behold on July 4th, a gunman attacked an El Al ticket counter in Los Angeles. In the above article, I predicted that the government’s response to an attack outside of security would simply be to move out the perimeter of security. Lo and behold, I’m sitting here watching CNN’s…

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Do-it-yourself upgrades American Airlines flies

Do-it-yourself upgrades American Airlines flies several three class (First/Business/Coach) 767 and 777 flights that are sold as two class (first and economy). That means that the business class seats are sold as coach (with coach service — just the better seat). In order to pre-reserve these seats, you need to be an American Airlines elite (because the front of coach is reserved for American Airlines elites who fly more than 25,000 miles a year with the airline). So, if you’re an elite it’s a “do-it-yourself” upgrade. You can also get these seats if you purchase a full fare ticket. At the airport itself you might have luck requesting one of these seats as well. Here are the current flights where this is possible: LAX-ORD AA88 9:36-15:36 ORD-LAX AA89 15:02-17:25 MIA-DFW: AA908 7:30-9:42, AA69 17:24-19:45 DFW-MIA:…

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The man and woman who

The man and woman who are auctioning off the right to name their baby have received bids in excess of $7,000. The man and woman who are auctioning off the right to name their bird have yet to receive a bid. Speciesism, perhaps?

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Amtrak! No, this isn’t a

Amtrak! No, this isn’t a post about how Amtrak should be liquidated through a bankruptcy proceeding. It’s a post about getting the most out of your rail travel. Occasionally, I move past airlines and offer other tips such as how to get rental car discounts. In this case, I have several tibits to offer. First, I’m always surprised how many people don’t realize that Amtrak has a frequent rider program. Definitely worth signing up. However, don’t just sign up because the program is there. Wait until you’re going to take a train trip, and you’ll get 500 bonus points. Second, Amtrak has an elite level that offers upgrades to first class if space is available, and passes to their first class lounge. 5 roundtrips on the Acela Express or Metroliner in a year is all…

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