Commentary

Category Archives for Commentary.

A New Way to Describe Elites Rushing the Gate to Board

by Gary Leff

Why Charlotte Needs Another American Airlines Admirals Club
Aug 05 2019

There are all sorts of tales and frustrations around passengers crowding the boarding line. Those who line up early, blocking the way for passengers in early boarding groups, are sometimes derisively referred to as “gate lice.” The sort of passenger who doesn’t know the drill, that it isn’t time for them to board yet, is the once a year (at most) flyer sometimes referred to as a “kettle” (as in ‘Ma’ and Pa’ Kettle).

But Ms. Blumenthal turns this elitism on its head, offering us the platinum push off to describe the elite who knocks everyone out of the way as their boarding group is called. Her husband, she says, is a master.

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United, American and Delta CEOs are Meeting With President Trump This Afternoon to Pick Your Pockets

by Gary Leff

man speaking on microphone
Jul 18 2019

Impossible to Parody. The CEOs of United, Delta, and American are meeting with President Trump this afternoon to promote protectionism and argue that the U.S. should abrogate its treaty obligations with the U.A.E. and Qatar because those smaller airlines receive subsidies from their home countries — an argument the carriers have spent the past four years making without credibility or success.

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American Airlines Flight Attendant Threatens to Make Life Difficult for Asian Woman Returning to the U.S.

by Gary Leff

passport getting stamped
Jul 17 2019

According to the passenger the family was filming the flight attendant because they found her rude on the plane.

Apparently the mother in the family had fallen ill and sought direction on “properly dispos[ing] of her throw up” and the family claims that the flight attendant responded “oh please I’ve been dealing with you people for 30 years.” They also claim the flight attendant followed up on her threat with customs staff.

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Out Today: Nomadic Matt’s Ten Years on the Road

by Gary Leff

ten years a nomad
Jul 16 2019

In the end I’m not sure I learned anything about life that will change me forever but I enjoyed Matt’s stories, I related to some and lived vicariously through his very different travel style than mine at other times. The book is thoroughly enjoyable and more real than most of what you read about travel and for that Matt’s book deserves to be read, if only to encourage that honesty and humility.

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There’s How Expert Travelers Pack and Then There’s Jennifer Garner

by Gary Leff

girl looking at shirt
Jul 13 2019

Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air was such a phenomenal movie for frequent travelers because as a top tier elite and mileage junkie himself he cared about getting so many of the details of life on the road right, and of course because he cast George Clooney in the lead role making airport security and hotel check-ins cool.

This is how we all see ourselves packing and cruising effortlessly through the airport…

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Passenger Strips Down at American Airlines Gate: Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

by Gary Leff

man losing clothes in airport
Jul 13 2019

The plot of Falling Down appears to re-create itself in Spanish, where a man is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore to borrow from another Hollywood classic. Is he frustrated by American Airlines? Raging against machines taking over simple tasks once employing people? Or frustrated by his own circumstance?

A man storms away from the desk at his gate, throws down the boarding group sign, where an American Airlines employee puts it back up. Meanwhile the passenger has taken off his shirt and allows his pants to sag. He grabs the reaches for the back of the employee’s neck. The employee goes about his business while the man rants in the gate area.

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Genius Flyer Tries to Find Shortcut to the Plane – By Getting on the Checked Baggage Belt

by Gary Leff

woman on conveyor belt
Jul 13 2019

A many of the world’s airports it’s a long walk from check-in to the gate. Some of that delay is due to immigration and customs formalities, but at newer airports that also usually means walking through a maze designed to move you past as much high-end retail as possible. That’s because expensive retail generates big revenue for the airport.

Sometimes you start to think: there has to be a better way.

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