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 »

Experts Are Predicting Frequent Flyer Apocalypse From Too Many Miles Chasing Too Few Seats

zimbabwe currency
May 20 2021

There are several scary stories out there about a coming frequent flyer apocalypse, but an underlying truth remains.

Now that airlines have moved towards more revenue-based redemption pricing, award price inflation is baked into the model. As demand rises and prices go up, so too do award prices for much of an airline’s inventory. And travel has picked up.

Continue Reading »

United Flight Attendant Fired For Covid Antics Sues Marriott For Ratting Him Out

united plane
May 20 2021

United Airlines flight attendant Jonathan Ray tested positive for Covid-19 in April 2020. He landed at Newark airport and checked into the Marriott Courtyard Wilmington Downtown to quarantine.

The property reported the twenty year airline veteran’s behavior while on property to United. He was suspended from his job and then terminated. And he’s suing – Marriott – for interfering with his employment relationship.

Continue Reading »

Report: American Airlines Will Announce Elite Qualifying Promotion, Extend Upgrades In Early June

first class cabin
May 19 2021

In the fall top American Airlines executives – including President Robert Isom – started cold-calling their best customers “to find out who it is that’s traveling and still earning elite status throughout the pandemic.”

Recently several top American Airlines AAdvantage elite members have reported getting calls scheduled with Rick Elieson, the head of the AAdvantage program. In one of these calls he leaked some great information!

Continue Reading »