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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Bad decision-making at the TSA.

Bad decision-making at the TSA. The Transportation Security Administration awarded a $28 million contract for a private screening program at Kansas City airport to a bankrupt firm that was fired by Southwest Airlines. Before the TSA, the airlines contracted for security and when the security firm didn’t follow all federal standards, instead of penalizing the security firm or taking away the security firm’s license so the airline couldn’t use them, the government fined the airline(s) that hired them. Here, the government awards a $28 million contract to the same firm Southwest fired for incompetence — and the same firm that Southwest was in essence fined Southwest for hiring. (Thanks to LoneStarMike of FlyerTalk.)

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Tony Woodlief hopes

Tony Woodlief hopes that the DC sniper resists arrest and is shot dead by the police. I understand the sentiment, but I disagree. Remember Richard Jewell, the suspect in the 1996 Olympic bombing who turned out to be innocent? What if the police have the wrong guy? Who are the police to make the final, life-or-death determination in the first place? The problem is only magnified if it’s the DC police…

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