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 »

What First Class Passengers Think As You Walk To Coach—The Real Story of Who’s Up Front

economy seats
Oct 07 2024

I remember flying regularly as a pre-teen, thinking that I’d never be one of those people sitting up front! I’d never be able to pay for it, and even if I could it surely wouldn’t be worth spending for. After all, it was expensive and just a few hours. I was still small, so I didn’t think the extra space comfort was worth it … though I always held my breath hoping there would be an empty seat next to me.

That was at the dawn of mileage programs, and people forget that elite status didn’t start when miles did.

Continue Reading »