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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Elite Singles Are Using Airport Lounges And PreCheck To Filter Dates—But Crazy Still Gets Through The Door

Jul 28 2025

Flying once used to be the province of the wealthy, and business men (definitely mostly men, United Airlines even used to have ‘Men Only’ flights) but now it’s become far more democratized. Airline deregulation brought lower fares, and the U.S. has become far wealthier. At the same time, being able to fly is an immense privilege.

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After 13 Years of Waiting, Hyatt Globalist Suite Upgrade Got Me To The Chatwal—Then They Gave Me A 320 Square Foot Terrace

Jul 27 2025

The hotel became part of Marriott when Starwood was acquired, and then moved over to Hyatt in early 2023. That was a boon to elite members, because the breakfast benefit was upgraded to Hyatt standard and suites became confirmable at the time of booking. Late checkout is proactively offered, not just honored.

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