United doesn’t have as robust an operation in my home city of Austin as Southwest, American or even Delta. And my most frequent destination for work is Washington, DC and I don’t love schlepping to Dulles. Their network rarely makes sense for me. But I had three great flights, much better than expected, enough to bump them up for future consideration compared to where they’ve been in my personal calculus.
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Eleven years ago Delta Air Lines prepared to move to a revenue-based frequent flyer program and other airlines took notice.
American Airlines executives used to say that Delta management was who they admired most. The truth is that this was true across the industry. Everyone just assumed Delta was smarter than they were. If Delta did it, it must be the right thing to do. A decade later consultants are still selling it to… everyone.
Departing Washington’s National airport on Friday, I passed by a family saying goodbye to each other at security. They hadn’t walked one family member into the airport for one last kiss. The family was simply parting ways at PreCheck. The dad had expedited security. His wife and kids did not. He made sure they had their boarding passes, and sent them along to the longer line.
I’d never seen this in person so dramatically before. He was right in front of me, and got out of my way at the PreCheck entrance so I could go through. But apparently it’s more common than I realized.
After being unexpectedly walked from Alila Marea Encinitas due to a buyout, my return stay transformed a booking mishap into a lovely experience, complete with an ocean suite upgrade and amazing free breakfast.
U.S. ultra-low cost carrier Frontier Airlines is adding European-style business class seating where extra legroom seats at the front of the plane will also allow a passenger to buy the seat next to them so that it stays empty.
Ryanair’s CEO says this is stupid, and it won’t last.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
The FAA reportedly won’t let United Airlines grow. They’re taking an active presence at the airline. Reportedly no new planes can enter commercial service, pilots can’t get certified, and new routes can’t be announced.
Your carry-on allowance is supposed to be two items per person, but there’s no requirement that each person carry their bags on themselves, under their own power.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
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 »
