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 »

‘Not Well-Liked at Delta, United, or Marriott’: What 23 Years of Travel Blogging Taught Me About VIP Perks (Or Lack Thereof)

by Gary Leff

Jan 25 2025

And, generally speaking, I don’t get better treatment because of this blog when I travel. Indeed, it’s obvious by the frequency with which I have problematic stays and flights, that even if executives somewhere wanted to treat me better the execution on the ground just isn’t there. I have only been recognized for the blog on-property at hotels 3 times in the 23 years I’ve been writing it. Oddly all of those were in 2016 and I don’t believe it’s happened in the last 8+ years.

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‘Meal Trays Went Flying’ Overhead Bins Smashed, 38 Injured: United Flight Forced Back to Nigeria After Severe Turbulence

by Gary Leff

Jan 24 2025

During meal service, the aircraft experienced three rapid drops in altitude, each descending by approximately 150 to 175 feet.

Turbulence during the drops resulted in unsecured items such as meal trays and personal belongings being dislodged. Passengers can be seen in video from inside the aircraft gripping their seats in fear as debris scattered across the floor, with some overhead bins visibly damaged.

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Amex Cardholders: Get Free Access To The Award Search Tool That Saves You Time And Points

by Gary Leff

Jan 24 2025

I really like point.me award search and I use it myself when trying to find award flights. Quickly search across most frequent flyer programs to see what flights are available to book using points, compare the cost of those awards, and get help with how to make the bookings at the lowest cost possible. This is a premium service, but did you know that you can access it for free? And if you haven’t used it lately, it’s gotten far better in the last few months.

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