Citi’s new Strata Elite card doesn’t just come with a 100,000 point bonus – its Splurge, Blacklane, and $300 hotel credits are timed to the calendar year, so you can use them twice in your first cardmember year. Here’s exactly how to stack those perks, plus Priority Pass and Admirals Club passes, to squeeze the maximum value out of year one.
I’m exactly who Southwest’s “new” model is supposed to win over: Austin-based, flying their monopoly DCA–AUS route, happy to pay for extra legroom and rarely checking a bag. But I still book away because their wifi is effectively useless, turning a “premium” seat into lost work time instead of an upgrade.
Airplane cabin air really can be clean and still smell awful. On one 5-hour flight, a gassy passenger reportedly let loose every 15–20 minutes, leaving nearby rows gagging while flight attendants sprayed Febreze and handed out masks. HEPA filters do a great job on particles and germs, but they don’t remove most odor molecules — so if someone keeps “refreshing” the smell, especially in your section of the cabin, the stench can linger no matter how many air changes per hour the aircraft cycles through.
American’s new A321XLR squeezes a surprisingly premium experience into a narrowbody: 1–1 business class suites with doors, an upgraded 2–2 premium economy cabin and seatback screens and power at every seat. I toured the aircraft at JFK before it enters service, including the galleys and rear ovens that will let American serve hot meals in coach on long, thin routes.
Southwest has a “secret” infinite-legroom window seat on its 737-800s and MAX 8s: 16A and 16F, with nothing at all in front of them. They only exist because FAA overwing-exit rules force Southwest to delete the window in the row ahead, and a 175-seat cap in the pilot contract means that missing seat costs the airline nothing. I’ll show exactly where to find these seats, why they exist, and how other airlines like American and Delta have their own versions too.
American Airlines crushed a family’s stroller in a jetbridge lift, promised to pay for the damage, and then turned around and called it “normal wear and tear.” Here’s what really happened, and the exact steps you should take to fight back — from escalating your claim to DOT complaints and small claims court.
Everyone debates which credit card is “best,” but most people are solving the wrong problem. This simple framework cuts through the noise, showing how to decide which card actually fits your spending, benefits, and goals.
An American Airlines passenger turned their seat back into a makeshift closet. From jackets and bags to hair draped over seat backs, airlines sell tight quarters – leaving passengers to fight over where one person’s comfort ends and another’s seat begins.
Alaska is busy turning itself into a global airline, flying Hawaiian’s 787s from a new Seattle long-haul hub to London and beyond. But its IT still behaves like a regional carrier: if you book a London–Seattle award that starts on British Airways, Alaska’s system misreads its own 787 flight as BA and slaps roughly $500 in “Alaska-imposed” fuel surcharges on top of 150,000 miles — an expensive bug for anyone spending Atmos Rewards points.
Video from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport shows a contract security guard in a white sedan racing down an active taxiway between jets as air traffic control calls a “high speed chase on the taxiway.” Planes slam on the brakes, workers scramble, and officials now blame a “possible medical episode.”
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 »
