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 »

In A Real First, Virgin Atlantic Will Give Elite Status Miles For Award Flights

by Gary Leff

virgin atlantic
Aug 20 2020

Virgin Atlantic like all other airlines is struggling during the pandemic. They’re in the midst of a restructuring and they’ve only just restarted flying last month to 6 cities.

Previously they had only extended member elite status by six months. They’ve gone ahead and made that now a full year, extending elite vouchers too. And they’re introducing changes to their frequent flyer elite program that are actually positive. The biggest change is that award travel will earn elite qualifying credit starting September 1. You’ll be able to transfer points from a credit card, fly, and earn top tier elite.

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Fewer Flights And International Border Restrictions Put Travelers In Limbo When Things Go Wrong

by Gary Leff

united plane
Aug 19 2020

United Airlines flight UA79 was delayed three hours on Sunday due to a crew scheduling issue. Flight delays happen all the time, and a three hour delay of an international flight isn’t usually devastating during normal times.

However with limited air service, as a result of depressed demand during the pandemic, and international border restrictions a small delay can turn much more challenging for travelers – especially those trying to connect between secondary cities.

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Boeing Rebrands The 737 MAX

by Gary Leff

Aug 19 2020

Boeing announced the sale today of two 737 MAX aircraft. That’s a big deal because the MAX, in service only since fall 2018, has been grounded since March 2019 – and because airlines generally are conserving cash rather than spending money to buy planes.

The announcement, though, is most notable for the verbal jujitsu Boeing uses as they give the plane a new name: 737-8, which is either not meant to be confused – or meant to be confused – with the older 737-800.

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What The Interior Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Boeing 727 “Lolita Express” Is Like

by Gary Leff

Aug 19 2020

The plane, with registration N908JE, is owned by JEGE, Inc. It flew to Georgia in July 11, 2017 from West Palm Beach and has sat there ever since. It’s got Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines and is an ex-TWA bird originally delivered July 7, 1969.

According to an aviation consultant who toured the plane in March on behalf of a potential buyer, here’s what the interior is like.

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Driver Crashes Onto Portland Airport, Heads Under Plane To Evade Police

by Gary Leff

Aug 19 2020

A 24 year old man crashed his car through a perimeter gate at the Portland airport on Sunday. His wife and two children were in the vehicle with him. He told police they were being chased by trucks, and wound up on the airport grounds as an evasive maneuver.

Then the man took off, with one of his kids in tow, and drove underneath the wing of a taxiing commercial flight. There’s video of the arrest.

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