View from the Wing’s Gary Leff understands how to earn and get the most out of travel-related perks. He’s been dubbed “Air Genius.” This guy possesses a wealth of knowledge on the subject, having researched, written about, and lived the life for more than twenty years. Let’s peak inside his mind.
When a passion project turns into a labor of love you’ve done well. Why did you start View from the Wing? At what point was it clear that you could afford to dedicate untold hours on your websites, including InsideFlyer.com?
I started View from the Wing in 2002 as a hobby, and in many ways it still is one although it consumes an inordinate amount of time. I didn’t quit my day job to write the blog, and I haven’t hired any employees to help with it. The blog didn’t even have any ads during its first two years. It didn’t earn $250 in a month during its first six years. This was before there was such a thing as GoogleAds. I spent time on the site because I loved doing so, and gradually it built a seven-figure monthly readership.
Fact: Infrequent flyers are capable of landing perks at airports, too! How can newcomers obtain luxuries such as seat upgrades, priority boarding, and lounge access?
If you’re a semi-regular flyer but not someone who travels enough to earn elite status, get the co-brand credit card of the airline you fly most for things like priority boarding and free checked bags (and in United’s case, annual lounge passes). Lounge passes – especially United’s – can be purchased at a deep discount on eBay. Upgrades can be obtained with miles, but domestically first class is often sold at a low enough increment over coach that it’s not worth spending the miles. Priority Pass, offering airport lounge access, is bundled with several premium credit cards and American’s lounges are best obtained with their own premium credit card because free access is provided to no-annual-fee authorized users – up to 10 additional cards on a single account.
Maximizing airline miles and points is a science. Aside from credit-card signup offers and rewards, what are some of your best tactics?
I’ve been a Bankdirect checking account customer since July 2003. While not as lucrative as it once was, it’s still good for earning up to 5,000 American Airlines miles per month (based on monthly account balance) and over 20,000 miles for signing up. Investment accounts offer miles. Earn miles for online shopping, for real estate transactions, for paying bills. Here’s an overview of many of the ways to earn miles.
There are plenty of deals on flights, hotels, etc. But the noise and misleading advertisements are distracting – and annoying. Where should we look online?
For flight deals watch TheFlightDeal.com and Airfarespot.com. Check out Club 1 Hotels for hotel discounts. Check out American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts and Virtuoso travel agents for throw-in benefits on high-end hotel stays. Use the Citi Prestige Card’s 4th night free hotel benefit. And be sure to get at least mid-tier hotel status through a credit card – Hilton’s Citi Hilton Reserve Card is great for Gold elite status; Amex Platinum gives Hilton and Starwood status for instance.
While seeking favors from airlines, sometimes asking the right person, at the right time, in the right way succeeds. I’ve received preferential seating on flights, including a complimentary first-class upgrade, as a result. What say you?
“Just asking” works much better with hotels than it does with airlines. But “hang up, call back” are perhaps the four most important words in travel.
Biographical Links
- View from the Wing about page
- Twitter feed – @garyleff
- InsideFlyer about page
- CondéNast Traveler contributor
- Business Insider author
- Million Mile Secrets interview
Courtesy of ViewfromtheWing.com: “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.”
Enjoy learning from experienced travelers? Read our interviews with bestselling author James Moore, financial-history writer John Steele Gordon, and fascinating journalist Lawrence Reed.