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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I Can’t Get This Song Out Of My Head, And To Me It’s All About Airports

May 10 2022

There are certain sounds, sights, and flavors that evoke travel. It wasn’t originally intended this way, but George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue means United Airlines. For years Portico’s ‘white ginger’ smell meant Hyatt Regency, though I suppose Westin’s ‘white tea’ smell is more well-known. The flavor of Tortas Frontera sandwiches is the sine qua non of Chicago O’Hare airport for me.

But maybe there’s a new competitor, because there’s a sound which bellows down the hallways at terminals in Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare, Las Vegas and Austin that I just cannot get out of my head.

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Air Canada Announces Credit Card Spend To Keep Elite Status

May 10 2022

2022 is a weird year. Travel is booming, but only in certain places and only certain kinds of travel. What’s more, the Omicron surge meant the year started off slow for many members. So while we’ll see plenty of frequent flyers earning elite status, there are many still on the sidelines.

Aeroplan is out with a way for members to keep their status through 2023: earn 30,000 points with an Aeroplan co-brand credit card between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. This is on top of elite status accelerators announced in February.

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Ex-Flight Attendant Union Boss Says Sara Nelson’s Union Behind Corruption Allegations Against Him

May 09 2022

Former American Airlines flight attendants union President Bob Ross had previously argued, in effect, that he shouldn’t be singled out among past union Presidents for financial impropriety, and that his improper financial practices had been approved by his subordinates.

Now he’s arguing, among other claims, that the accusations against him are all part of Sara Nelson’s plot to grow her power base.

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Don’t Be Complacent, Crimes And Crises Are Happening At Hotels All Around Us

cityscape
May 08 2022

Many of the crimes here just happened to occur at hotels, or happened because of the specific things guests chose to do while at hotels. As long as you don’t engage in exceptionally risky behavior, they probably won’t happen to you.

Legionnaires disease, of course, is another story entirely. And always sweep your room for hidden cameras if you’re someone that’ll mind being videotaped naked.

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