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 »

More articles by Gary Leff »

The Right To Tear Down New Second Terminal Will Cost Austin Airport $88 Million

by Gary Leff

austin airport food court
Jun 03 2023

Austin’s airport has been one of the fastest growing in the country for several years. Their main terminal needs to grow to accommodate this – at peak times passengers are packed in so tight it’s barely possible to move. Gates are in constant use with no real room for more flights, either.

One way the city-controlled airport planned to manage growth was with a separate ‘South Terminal’ for low cost carriers. They leased space to a private company for 40 years, which built the terminal, and has been housing Allegiant and Frontier. The terminal is just six years old, but the airport changed its mind.

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“Brace, Brace, Head Down, Stay Down” Passenger Shows American Airlines Flight Emergency Landing

by Gary Leff

Jun 02 2023

A passenger reported that their American Airlines flight made an emergency landing on Sunday “after a potential brake failure.” Everyone had to assume the crash position. Watch the video starting around 18 seconds in and you’ll hear “Head down, stay down, brace, brace” being chanted as the aircraft diverted to Philadelphia.

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After Woman Disrupts 2 A.M. Flight, How An Older Man Steps Up To School Her Is Perfect

by Gary Leff

Jun 02 2023

A passenger complained to a flight attendant about being offended by a woman’s behavior prior to departure from Los Angeles. She was reportedly drunk. But she doesn’t leave the plane quietly. She gets up and walks the aisle, speaking to passengers in the cabin and nobody at the same time, “You can’t tell me what I did…. I’m not going!”

With about 10 seconds left in the video, a jacket-wearing older gentleman in a window seat stands up, takes off his glasses, and tells it like it is.

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