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 Had a Few Light Beers” — Footage Shows Police Pull Southwest Pilot From Cockpit After TSA Smells Alcohol

Aug 15 2025

“I had a few light beers last night,” Southwest Airlines captain David Paul Allsop told police at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport after TSA officers said they could smell alcohol on him. Minutes later, body camera footage shows officers stepping into the cockpit of his Boeing 737, telling him he wasn’t flying, and leading him away.

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30 Years, Hundreds Of Cards—Chase Said No For The First Time (But I Got Sapphire Reserve Business Anyway)

Aug 14 2025

It’s almost frightening how much credit Chase extends to me. I’ve been a customer for decades and over time I’ve changed between different preferred cards that they offer. And instead of cancelling old cards I first move the credit off those cards onto the acconts I’m keeping. During the Great Recession they did drop the available credit on a United card by about $40,000. But otherwise I’ve just been adding to the credit they’re extending to me for many years.

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