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 »

A James Beard Award Now Signals ‘Good Enough For Airline Catering’

by Gary Leff

Nov 04 2022

When Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group started popping up in airports and putting its brand on Delta Air Lines meals I suggested it was trading its name and accepting lower quality. It had a brand to cash out on, but the brand meant less as a result. This is going to be true for any chef who enters an airport or licenses their name to an airline – except for Rick Bayless.

For an airline, branding with a chef’s name can signal their investment in food. For a brand, that it no longer cares about quality.

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Marriott Markets Your Memory Of 9/11 Back To You – For A Hefty Upcharge

by Gary Leff

Nov 04 2022

In 2013 the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley found its own way of remembering 9/11: 30 minutes of free mini-muffins for guests. I remember thinking at the time at least it wasn’t a Marriott in Manhattan. Context matters, and surely New Yorkers wouldn’t trivialize the event.

Only the Marriott New York Downtown now takes the memory of 9/11 and sells it back to us – at a hefty markup – in the form of a 9/11 Remembrance Package for weekend stays.

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TOMORROW: A Bunch Of Bloggers Are Pulling A Crazy Stunt For Charity

by Gary Leff

Nov 03 2022

Several travel bloggers and frequent flyers are going to pull a crazy stunt tomorrow to raise money for charity. They’re helping to bring awareness and support for Give Kids The World, a charity that fulfills the wishes of dying children to experience Disney World.

Here’s their plan: ride every Disney ride in a single, 18 hour day. That’s 53 rides and over 20 miles of walking and running.

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Disingenuous New United Airlines Ad Takes On Southwest’s Boarding Process

by Gary Leff

people in line at airport
Nov 03 2022

United is running an ad campaign attacking Southwest over its inflight product – because if you don’t have Rapid Rewards elite status, buy a premium fare, or pay for ‘Early Bird check-in’ you need to check in 24 hours prior to your flight to avoid being assigned one of the last boarding positions and therefore one of the last shots at picking a seat on board.

But United is worse.

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