An Avis renter was charged thousands of dollars in tolls after a previous customer stole the car’s transponder and kept using it. Also: no U.S. routes in Singapore’s latest award sale, tiny Marriott-Starbucks bonuses, Air Canada’s new Québec City café lounge, a Bahamas jet ski warning, and 50% off JSX flights to Scottsdale.
Give A Mile uses donated United miles to book urgent flights for people trying to reach loved ones in hospice or critical care, with one week left in its campaign.
Chase mistakenly emailed Ink Plus cardmembers suggesting that 5x rewards at office supply stores and was ending. Chase now confirms the category is not changing and says cardmembers will receive corrected information.
Japan Airlines CEO Mitsuko Tottori will take another 30% pay cut after flight attendants broke pre-duty alcohol rules, forcing a Hiroshima–Tokyo flight delay. JAL fired or suspended the crew involved, banned flight attendant layover drinking, and again showed a level of executive accountability rarely seen in the airline industry.
Flight Attendants are openly discussing asking pilots to turn on the seat belt sign when they want passengers to leave them alone, even without expected turbulence. This reflects bigger questions about airline culture, cramped galleys, and how safety signals are being used to avoid customer service.
Showing up early is sometimes wasted time, but the right flight buffer can be cheap insurance when the trip really matters. The smart move is knowing when a delay would merely annoy you, and when it would ruin the reason for traveling.
A double partial amputee was allegedly challenged by United Airlines over his disability preboarding request, though he ultimately boarded early after pushing back. Fake wheelchair and preboarding requests can make gate agents skeptical, hurting passengers who genuinely need extra time and assistance.
Chase Sapphire Preferred’s refreshed benefits are now live with a 100,000-point initial bonus, new 3x categories, a $100 Chase Travel hotel credit, and added trusted-traveler credit. The big downside is that Hyatt transfers fall from 1:1 to 4:3 for new Preferred cardmembers.
All-business class airline Beond is two months behind paying staff, according to an internal memo, while asking crew to keep flying charters so it can secure funding and cover back pay. The airline has paused scheduled Maldives service for the summer and says Middle East conditions have made cash management difficult.
Smugglers keep hiding Dubai gold in aircraft lavatories because India’s high import taxes create a lucrative arbitrage, especially on routes from the Gulf. Also: a United speakerphone meltdown, fish slime on a checked bag, forced gate-checking despite empty bins, a Citi-to-Accor transfer bonus, and a Wizz Air pop song.
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 »
