Southwest Airlines’ infamous 2022 holiday meltdown, costing nearly $1 billion, wasn’t an isolated disaster—it echoed their costly 2016 IT failure, which triggered $77 million in losses. Ten years later, they’re still fighting in court to recover insurance payments, showing that failing IT can cost airlines dearly for years after the immediate chaos ends.
Chase brought back a huge bonus on the IHG One Rewards Premier Card: 175,000 points after $5,000 in spend in three months. The $99 card is also a long-term keeper thanks to the annual free night (with top-off), 4th night free on award stays and Platinum status.
An American Airlines passenger discovered a snail in their business class meal on a recent flight from Liberia, Costa Rica, to Dallas. Snails found in produce can carry bacteria or even rare parasites.
United Airlines will purchase the last two Spirit Airlines Chicago O’Hare gates for $30 million, significantly escalating its strategic battle to push American Airlines out of the critical hub. With both airlines locked in an intense fight and billions in loyalty revenue at stake, United’s aggressive move sharply raises the pressure on American as the two carriers are in a pitched battle at the airport.
An FAA safety inspector is suing United Airlines for $12.75 million, claiming he was banned for life from flying the airline after reporting a torn seat pocket—a violation of safety regulations. He had been investigating United’s 737 MAXs and was taken off that duty.
Speculation about American Airlines CEO Robert Isom’s future has reached fever pitch at the airline’s headquarters, distracting employees as rumors swirl about possible replacements. With unions demanding change and recent operational failures shaking confidence, the conversation inside American Airlines isn’t about whether Isom will go—but who might be next in the top seat.
Minneapolis has refused to renew liquor licenses for two hotels accused of housing ICE agents, igniting a political and legal controversy. Despite warnings from the city’s own attorney about potential illegality, the city council moved forward—highlighting deep tensions around immigration enforcement and local government intervention.
A bald eagle was set to fly Delta Air Lines from San Francisco to Atlanta on Tuesday. It was escorted by a professional falconer, who had the eagle out in the aisle while passengers filmed and took selfies with it.
News and notes from around the interweb: Jeffrey Epstein stayed on friends and family rates at Hyatt. In fairness, Hyatt’s Friends & Family rate is often is a very good deal and it earns full points and stay credit. Mildly interesting – Epstein stayed on friends/family rates at Hyatt byu/dogemaster00 inhyatt We all have hobbies. A Moroccan man climbs onto the roof of a Vueling A320 at Valencia Airport after gaining access to the airport and using the aircraft stairs to get to the top of the fuselage. Three civil guards convinced the man to come down approximately 10 minutes later. A day before the… pic.twitter.com/ELghVQup7m — Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) February 1, 2026 The Trump administration still enforces antitrust, even in aviation. This is relevant as we think about JetBlue, Spirit and…
A viral video with over 2.5 million views captures the shocking moment a teen repeatedly kicking a passenger’s seat gets his teeth broken when the passenger sharply reclines in response
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 »
