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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10 Years After Merging, American Airlines And US Airways Gates Have Been Consolidated (Atlanta Was Last)

by Gary Leff

Jul 03 2023

They got onto a single operating certificate. They merged US Airways Dividend Miles into American AAdvantage (while following US Airways plans for a revenue-based program). They combined pilot and flight attendant seniority lists, and transitioned to a single maintenance platform.

But that’s not all of the work that had to happen. Going into 2023, a decade later, it still wasn’t done. American Airlines and US Airways had separate airport operations, and different gates, in 140 locations. Atlanta was the final station to consolidate gates and that’s just happened.

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Does “Don’t Cut In Line” Apply When Getting Off The Plane?

by Gary Leff

Jul 02 2023

There’s no rule against waiting your turn when getting off of an aircraft. Normally you stand up, walk into the aisle either right away upon reaching the gate or when the row in front of you starts walking off the plane. And then when the people in front of you are on their way out, you proceed down the aisle yourself.

But is there a rule against squeezing through the passengers in front of you, while you’re waiting for the aircraft doors to open? No, not really.

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