Category Archives for General.
One traveler was spotted eating cole slaw with her hands straight out of a gallon Ziploc—yet this barely cracks the top ten of “things you see at airports.” Also in today’s roundup: an Executive Platinum’s burst-open bag that American waved off as “minor,” a cargo-hold nap (British Airways warned staff to stop using holds as bathrooms..), and a filthy long haul business class seat that has people asking whether anyone cleans these planes anymore.
Scott Kirby predicted United would push American out of Chicago O’Hare, but American is finally acting like a carrier with fight left—adding 100 peak daily departures and explicitly positioning the move as competition. The gate battle, a $30 million grab for two Spirit gates, and United’s immediate retaliation to new Chicago routes all point to the same thing: O’Hare is turning into a real schedule war.
A Southwest flight attendant is going viral for turning the soda cart into “Dirty Dr Pepper” and “Pink Drink” combos—and then telling passengers on longer flights to “put me to work” and keep her entertained.
Also in today’s roundup: American’s current Summer 2026 A321XLR/787-9 premium route plan, a Sapphire Reserve dining-credit tracker (with gift-card reimbursement datapoints), and a Bilt 2.0 partner-coupon leak.
News and notes from around the interweb: Hertz strands Jason Priestley just like in a Seinfeld episode. They knew how to take the reservation, they just didn’t know how to hold the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. (HT: Ryan) @slcairport… reserved a car @hertz and when we got there, no car… and they couldn’t tell me when they would have one… worst rental car experience I’ve ever had… and I’ve been a Hertz Gold member for 25 years… no more… View this post on Instagram A post shared by jason_priestley (@jason_priestley) When I arrived at an airport Hertz location that had dozens of customers waiting on cars, including numerous elite members, I didn’t rely on status. I slipped the clerk $20 and drove away in the only…
Delta seatback screens were showing the route map—while the bulkhead screen up front had an R-rated director cut instead.
Also in today’s roundup: Labubu pop-ups take over Denver airport, a China mall uses toilet doors that turn transparent if someone smokes, a Lyft business profile can earn higher Alaska/United/Hilton rewards, a new SFO program lets neurodiverse travelers practice the boarding and inflight experience, and it is the final week for that Rakuten referral offer.
Etihad’s Abu Dhabi–Hong Kong flight is showing up again and again in theft reports—passengers say valuables vanished from bags in the overhead bin while the cabin slept, and police have repeatedly been waiting at the gate on arrival.
Complimentary elite upgrades have largely disappeared, with airlines like Delta and American selling premium seats cheaply rather than rewarding loyalty. Instead of pretending upgrades still exist, airlines should replace them outright with meaningful first-class discounts—benefiting frequent flyers and airline bottom lines alike.
Alaska wants a new boss for inflight credit card pitches—someone to “empower” flight attendants, drive participation, and report results up the chain, guided (naturally) by “core values and leadership principles.”
Also in today’s roundup: United’s map of the most-booked international destination from each state, the latest doubts about pre-scheduled Uber airport rides, Pakistan International Airlines privatization terms, a limited-time Alaska–Lyft linkage credit, and another bed bugs on a plane account.
An American Airlines pilot posted a pay breakdown showing how $35,000 every two weeks can happen once hourly rates and stacked incentives are added up. Also in today’s roundup: a fatal “cocaine” buy on the Wynn casino floor that police say was fentanyl, a cockroach dropping onto food in an American Airlines lounge in Philadelphia, a Singapore Airlines business-class theft tied to a crime syndicate, and Austin airport’s unusually frequent elevator rescues.
American is talking up a “premium” future, but passengers keep posting the basics falling apart—broken tray tables, dirty cabins, and even duct tape holding things together up front. Also in today’s roundup: a reminder that Delta’s “premium” image doesn’t always match reality, why Iceland airport “nationality clicking” is just a departure survey, a United credit-card ad that pauses someone’s movie, a pilot who drew a Nativity scene in the sky, dark web chatter about stolen loyalty accounts, and American buying into Republic Airways.
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 »
