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 New BWI Airport Concessions Contract Bid May Have Been Rigged

by Gary Leff

bwi ad
Nov 18 2022

Baltimore Washington International Airport plans to drop the company running its concessions – restaurants and shops – in favor of a brand new company headed by a former state governor’s Chief of Staff, who will turn the actual work over to HMSHost. And the bidding process sure looks like it was rigged.

The Maryland Aviation Administration has selected New Market Development Joint Venture, LLC to replace Fraport which has managed concessions at BWI for 18 years. The company, owned by a former chief of staff to former Gov. Parris Glendening, has only existed for one year.

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Hyatt Place To Guests: We RENOUNCE Daily Housekeeping

by Gary Leff

Nov 17 2022

Chains have housekeeping standards for their properties, which include offering more service than they did at the depths of the pandemic, but that also offer a lot more leeway in not providing it. And some hotels take them up on these opportunities, though I’m not sure I’ve seen quite an aggressive stance, though, as the one taken by the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport.

If you don’t care about the environment, and are happy with Greta Thunberg scolding you for the rest of your days, then you can have your room serviced.

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Hotel Chains And Online Travel Agencies Rethink How They Work Together

by Gary Leff

Nov 17 2022

Expedia spends a lot to acquire one-off customers. They’re realizing it can be cheaper to sell subsequent trips to people that have already purchased from them (loyalty matters) and they’ve gutted their loyalty program throughout the years.

Meanwhile if Accor is ‘early in’ with this partnership they may gain higher purchase likelihood from Expedia’s eyeballs than other chains.

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It Turns Out To Be A Very Bad Time For An Airline To Issue Its Own Cryptocurrency

by Gary Leff

Nov 17 2022

Northern Pacific Airways is promoting that its Flycoin frequent flyer currency “is honored to be named one of PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023.” Because what could be more right now with FTX imploding; crypto exchange Gemini – founded by the Winklevi – facing pressure; Terra and Luna showing that stablecoins aren’t so stable; and 3AC collapsing?

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Frontier “All You Can Fly” Pass – Even Better Than It Seemed At First

by Gary Leff

frontier
Nov 16 2022

Frontier Airlines is offering its “GoWild!” unlimited flying pass for $599 the first year. If you don’t cancel it will auto-renew for $1999 the second year. It’s a brilliant way for the airline to monetize seats that are otherwise-likely to go empty, and can be a great deal for travelers living in major Frontier cities like Denver, Orlando and Las Vegas.

This lets you buy an unlimited number of domestic U.S. flights, booked the day prior to travel, for just $0.01 in airfare plus taxes and fees (or in most cases less than $15 per flight).

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American Airlines Is Expanding Use Of Trip Credits, Now Valid For Some International Destinations

by Gary Leff

airline ticket
Nov 16 2022

In many ways the American Airlines move to ‘trip credits’ and away from ‘flight credits’ has been great. When you have a travel credit with the airline you can use it for your own future travel – or to book travel for someone else.

The change has been a gradual one over several years, and American has implemented the next phase of the change: International Expansion – Phase 2, according to an internal document reviewed by View From The Wing.

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Barstool Sports Founder Brags To Rite Aid Cashier About His 44 Million Amex Points

by Gary Leff

Nov 16 2022

The founder of Barstool Sports, David Portnoy, flexed on social media showing himself buying a pack of gum with a Black Card for $1.59 – and the terminal displays his available Membership Rewards balance of 44,403,931 points.

Sure, you can use Amex points at Rite Aid. It’s a poor value, but it’s an opportunity to show the balance in an ironic setting. The employee comments “you probably could go on a trip” and Portnoy boasts “I’ve gotta be a league leader with points.”

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