Gary Leff, Author at View from the Wing

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 »

The Only Honest Case For Another Round Of Airline Bailouts Comes From Ben Baldanza

by Gary Leff on August 18, 2020

Aug 18 2020

Former Spirit Airlines CEO is a JetBlue board member and naturally thinks more of that sweet, sweet taxpayer cash ought to flow to airlines. He lays out what he calls misconceptions about government aid to airlines as he makes the case for the second government bailout of the industry this year.

Baldanza’s piece is a breath of fresh air though because it honestly talks about government subsidies as more than just an unemployment program. He takes seriously government support as an airline bailout, ensuring airlines are providing capacity to the economy, and doesn’t offer the fiction that it’s only about supporting the workers.

Now we have serious arguments worth answering.

Managers Delayed An Ethiopian Airlines Flight In Houston For 8 Hours – So They Could Scalp Tickets

by Gary Leff on August 18, 2020

Aug 18 2020

Ethiopian Airlines ran a repatriation flight this weekend from Houston to Lagos, Nigeria. There were more people who showed up at the airport than seats. The $1500 one-way flight had a waiting list, and numerous people were looking to get on.

After boarding local Nigerian officials identified no shows and empty seats and started to auction those off, reportedly pocketing an extra $250 apiece for themselves. But it took six hours to get the seats sold at the higher price, especially since the delay meant some of the passengers started getting off the plane – more seats for the officials to sell at a markup.

Brawl Breaks Out At Embassy Suites Atlanta, Front Desk Clerk Defends Herself Using Phone As Weapon

by Gary Leff on August 18, 2020

Aug 18 2020

A brawl broke out at the Embassy Suites Atlanta Galleria after a dispute between a guest and a front desk associate. Other guests in the lobby naturally caught it on video… rather than helping to restrain the combatants.

While the argument that precipitated the fight wasn’t recorded, we can see that the hotel front desk agent is wearing a mask at the end– and the guest is not.