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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Peggy Noonan is on board.

Peggy Noonan is on board. She calls for the removal of Norm Mineta: People are afraid to fly because they see what a politically correct joke our airline security is. Searching for every last toenail clipper, forcing 85-year-old people with walkers to stand spread-eagled as some oafish wand-wielder in a blue jacket humiliates them–this is absurd and cowardly. Let’s get coldly serious: Arm the pilots, fortify cockpits, man flights with marshals, and profile passengers. We don’t have a transportation secretary who is willing to do these things. Someday when something terrible happens we’ll wish we did. Why not coldly remove Norman Mineta now? (Thanks to my bud Esta for the heads up.)

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Note for the morning. Apologies

Note for the morning. Apologies for lack of blogging these past few days. I’m working to close out a fiscal year and prepare for a board of directors meeting. It’s keeping me focused about thirteen hours of the day, and my mind just hasn’t had the space to blog. I should be resuming normal blogging in a few days, and at least a greater level of blogging tomorrow. 9/11. I understand that from 8:45 am until 8:47 am, all flights at Boston’s Logan Airport were on a ground stop to commemorate the day. Two of the 9/11 hijackings departed from Boston. I will be meeting frequent flyer friends for lunch at National Airport at noon. It seems a fitting place to be.

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500 Free American Airlines MIles

500 Free American Airlines MIles and Hotel Points. Earn 500 free American miles when you enroll in the Baymont Inns/Woodfield Suites Guest Ovations Program. Make sure you choose the option of earning American Airlines miles (so that you can enter your American Airlines account number) and then enter the Promo Code AA0209 — you should get 1000 Baymont Points upon sign up and 500 American miles in a few weeks. There is also the ability to earn Gold Status by referring people. I would appreciate it if you would use me as your referral (it costs you nothing). Use referral number 107235698.

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Hertz discounts and bonuses. $15

Hertz discounts and bonuses. $15 of a weekend and $20 off a weekly rental (valid through 9/30 on full-size or larger car): provide discount number CDP 1389928 and promotion code 930241 for the $15 off and promotion code 930252 for the $20 discount. Get free Hertz #1 Gold membership (a $50 value) by going to the Hertz site and entering program name United and promotion code 2047. Earn double United miles with discount number CDP 62455 and promotion code 925746

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The upside to

The upside to a United Airlines bankruptcy: it could cut labor costs by 20% (and overall costs by 10%), and have a ripple effect on costs throughout the industry. A United bankruptcy could save the major airlines.

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Why ITA Software

Why ITA Software offers the best tool for searching airfares. I’ve certainly found this to be true. You can interface with them directly rather than going through Orbitz.

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Stumpy the Squirrel

Stumpy the Squirrel Goes Back Home: MACHIAS, Wash. (AP) — A squirrel with half a tail and no left hind foot is back with his caretakers after 10 days on the lam. The squirrel, named Stumpy, was found six miles from the residence of Steve and Marcia Carter, who fought back tears when he was returned. On Sunday afternoon, a woman heard faint tinkling and remembered reading a newspaper article about Stumpy, who had been outfitted with a bell on a collar. Sure enough, there was the 8-inch rodent, sitting in her driveway.

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