United just warned that higher fuel prices will force it to trim planned flying, then unveiled a huge fleet plan built around more premium-heavy aircraft and interiors anyway. That is a clear statement of belief: even with oil risk and weaker flying elsewhere, the airline thinks premium demand, lounge access, loyalty, and newer aircraft are durable enough to keep investing hard.
American Airlines returned a checked bag missing a wheel, and the dispute gets at a bigger problem in air travel: airlines routinely lean on “normal wear and tear” to avoid paying damaged baggage claims. The Department of Transportation has warned carriers they cannot simply exclude wheels, handles, and other protruding parts across the board — but in practice, that does not stop airlines from treating almost every broken bag the same way.
Video of the fatal LaGuardia runway collision appears to show the autonomous runway status lights illuminated red as the fire truck entered the runway — a warning system designed to tell vehicles and aircraft not to proceed even if they have a clearance. That does not settle blame, and the investigation will still have to sort out what air traffic control, the truck crew, and airport procedures each contributed, but it adds a critical detail to a crash that already killed the two pilots of the arriving Air Canada Express jet.
The World’s 50 Best List somehow ranks 100 hotels, and a lot of the picks are hard to take seriously. Also, triple D$ offer from GHA Discovery, Citi transfer bonuses to LifeMiles and Virgin Atlantic, and a bizarre Airbnb damage story out of Florida.
ICE agents are now at 13 airports, but the deployment looks far more symbolic than operational: they cannot legally perform screening, and in many cases they appear to be standing near checkpoints while TSA lines still run for hours.
A woman was detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport late Sunday night, and video of the scene is now being widely miscast as part of the new ICE deployment to airport checkpoints. It was not
American Express Centurion Lounges helped redefine what an airport lounge could be, with chef-driven menus, a premium feel, and enough buzz to force airline clubs to raise their game. Now they are too often packed, dated, and serving food that no longer feels remotely worth the crowd.
A United business class passenger reportedly stayed on speaker phone through taxi and the entire safety video, even after flight attendants asked her multiple times to stop. Too many passengers no longer feel embarrassed about behavior that used to be obviously unacceptable.
ICE agents are now showing up at airport checkpoints, but they are not the same as TSA screeners — ICE agents are law enforcement officers, while TSA checkpoint staff generally are not. That changes your rights.
An Air Canada Express CRJ-900 arriving from Montreal hit a fire truck that was crossing Runway 4 at LaGuardia shortly after landing around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, causing severe damage to the aircraft’s nose and cockpit. The captain and first officer were killed, multiple passengers and first responders were injured, and controller audio captured the tower urgently trying to stop the truck before impact.
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 »
