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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Spit On, Slapped & Zip Tied: Southwest Passenger Sues, Saying Open Seating Made The Drunk Attack Inevitable

Aug 28 2025

A clearly intoxicated passenger grabbed another woman’s hair, slapped and spat at her, and shouted body-shaming insults on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York LaGuardia to Kansas City back on June 16. The woman was restrained with zip-ties, and she was ultimately removed from the aircraft back into the terminal on a gurney.

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