Gary Leff, Author at View from the Wing

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 »

My Philosophy For Earning Miles and Saving Money Comes From An Obscure 1984 Film

by Gary Leff on November 18, 2023

Nov 18 2023

The way that I think about negotiation, arbitrage, and frequent flyer miles all tie back to one scene in an obscure 1984 file, Over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Elliott Gould plays a man with a dream to open a restaurant in Manhattan who finds the perfect opportunity. He asks his uncle, played by Sid Caesar, for funding and Caesar agrees — on the condition he leave his Catholic girlfriend (Margaux Hemingway) and marry a “nice Jewish girl.” Seven year old Sarah Michelle Gellar has an uncredited role.

Amsterdam Airport Working On A Way To Kick Out JetBlue, After All

by Gary Leff on November 18, 2023

Nov 18 2023

The U.S. sent the Dutch government a missive reminding them that a decision to ban a U.S. airline was in violation of the E.U.’s Open Skies treaty with the United States. The government said, yeah you’re right sorry.

But now the airport is talking about a work-around.

Woman Loses It: She Was Told To “Pipe Down” After Defending Passenger’s Right To Vape Inflight

by Gary Leff on November 18, 2023

Nov 18 2023

Things didn’t go so well on a Ryanair flight from Tenerife to Bristol, where two inebriated women caused chaos. One, caught vaping in her seat, denied it despite holding the vape pen. Her friend’s loud defense turned into a profanity-laden tirade – she lost it after being told to “pipe down” – even after a passenger asked them to stop due to children nearby.

She then began defending her parenting.. using explicit language. Crew members attempted to escort her off the aircraft, but she responded with a vulgar insult towards a flight attendant.

On Monday, American Airlines Flight Attendants Will Announce Plan To Strike Over Christmas

by Gary Leff on November 18, 2023

Nov 18 2023

American Airlines flight attendants have been in protracted negotiations over a new contract. Cabin crew voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The airline and union met for federal mediation talks on Friday, and the union set that as a deadline for significant progress. They said that after the meeting the union board would hold a strike vote. The union plans to make an announcement on Monday. This afternoon, your APFA Negotiating Committee met with your Board of Directors to brief them on the status of negotiations, including the next step: a request to the National Mediation Board to release us into a thirty-day cooling-off period. On Monday, November 20th, we will communicate information regarding this week’s negotiations and next steps, including the APFA Board of Director’s action on the request to the NMB to be…

With 800,000 New Members In A Month, United MileagePlus Pivots Away From Elite Members [Roundup]

by Gary Leff on November 18, 2023

Nov 18 2023

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.