Scott Kirby didn’t just adjust United’s messaging between administrations — he rebuilt the airline’s public identity to match whichever political winds were blowing. Under Biden, United wrapped itself in pronouns and DEI; under Trump, Kirby is aligning with Stephen Miller and Trump.
Barry Sternlicht has brought the Starwood name back — and now its largest brand, 1 Hotels, has relaunched its loyalty program. The return of Starwood sparks plenty of nostalgia, but the new approach looks very different from the SPG era. Here’s what’s changing and what members can expect.
Rep. Nancy Mace’s Charleston airport blow-up is now in its third week. After cursing out officers and threatening to sue American Airlines, she’s now claiming TSA “targeted” her for extra screening—a charge that screeners told her was nothing more than routine random selection.
Two fledgling airlines with turbulent histories are teaming up to launch an all-business class carrier in the United States. The concept is fascinating — and ambitious — but regulatory hurdles, fleet challenges, and execution risks make the path forward far tougher than the announcement suggests.
A Delta flight to South Africa was moments from departure when an elderly couple realized their passport was missing and had to deplane. After the aircraft began pushback, a flight attendant found the passport, stopped the plane, and brought the couple back onboard—earning cheers from passengers and saving their dream trip.
Four premium cards dominate the space right now: Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, and Citi Strata Elite. Let’s break down lounges, credits, earn rates, and transfer partners—then show which card (or pair) actually makes sense for how you travel and spend.
The Capital One Venture X card just relaunched its 100,000-mile bonus — worth $1,000 in travel or transfer miles to partners. With six months to earn it and premium perks like lounge access, travel credits, and transferable points, it’s easily one of the best card offers of the year.
A former hotel manager turned flight attendant says there are two things she’ll never touch in any hotel room: the in-room coffee maker and those refillable shower dispensers. Here’s why — and what you should do instead.
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.
Video from San Francisco’s N-Judah line shows a Muni driver nodding off as the train hit 50 mph — five times its normal speed — before blowing through a stop and throwing passengers off balance. Investigators later blamed fatigue, not mechanical failure.
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 »
