Latest news with #GaryLeff
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
British Airways bans crew members from taking selfies during layovers: ‘Bit of an overkill'
A layover could lead to a layoff in a flash. While airlines often restrict crewmember social media use on the job, British Airways has taken the crackdown to the next level — by limiting what members post during their personal time as well. The carrier now prohibits airline employees — including pilots and flight attendants — from documenting where they stay during crew layovers on social media, One Mile At A Time reported. This means that ever-popular 'get ready with me' TikToks — in which flight attendants film themselves donning their outfits for the day — no longer fly. The airline's security team claims that bad actors can use AI-powered location tools to pinpoint crew member locations, thereby compromising their safety. Getty Images And don't think about snapping a pool or lobby selfie– the policy applies everywhere inside the crewmember hotel, outside the hotel and even the parking lot, A View From The Wing reported. Even a quick room-view shot showing nothing but sky and curtains is verboten under the ban. According to the new guidelines, crew members are also required to go over their feeds with a fine-toothed comb and delete every trace of prior layover hotel-related content — even the stuff set to 'private' — or risk getting canned. British Airways isn't imposing this digital clampdown to kill crewmember fun or torpedo fledgling influencer careers, but rather to mitigate any potential safety risks. Flight expert Gary Leff at A View From The Wing found BA's social media crackdown overzealous given that crew resorts aren't exactly a secret. NurPhoto via Getty Images The airline's security team claims that bad actors can use AI-powered location tools to pinpoint crewmembers' locations, the Mirror reported. This sophisticated software can analyze subtle background cues — including parking lot signs, pool tiles and even window geometry — to identify flight attendant accommodations, which could put flight staff in jeopardy. One Mile At A Time described the policy as 'strict', writing that it 'seems like a bit of an overkill, since it's not that hard to figure out where airline crews stay.' The move follows a BA policy rolled out in 2023 that banned crew members from posting while on duty, including snapping cockpit selfies or sitting in an engine. The crackdown comes as an increased number flight attendants are taking up side hustles as influencers, often providing travel tips and other inside info to their sometimes million-plus followers. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the content takes place inside hotels with topics ranging from hotel cleanliness to the best ways to tell if an intruder is lurking under the bed. Flight expert Gary Leff at A View From The Wing found BA's social media crackdown overzealous given that crew resorts aren't exactly a secret. 'Crews arrive in uniform to the same contracted hotels in each city. Local drivers, aviation enthusiasts and would-be stalkers already know where they're staying,' he wrote. 'They go out into the city and tell people where they're staying. So while it's possible to extract location clues from photos, it's entirely unnecessary to do so.' He found the measure particularly ludicrous as there's been no actual incident of a hotel safety issue and that it's all 'hypothetical.' In April, a BA crew member was found dead in his San Francisco hotel room during a stopover between flights — although there was no evidence of foul play. Leff added that this clampdown could put a damper on crew member recruitment as a lot of this outreach is done peer-to-peer via social media so 'cracking down on crew behavior makes those same jobs less attractive' to applicants.
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Should you lock your luggage when traveling? Why it's a weighty matter
As travelers embark on their summer trips this year, experts are weighing in on whether people should take the extra precaution of protecting their luggage by locking it up. Travel expert Francesca Page of New York told Fox News Digital that bags and checked bags have always been an issue. "Over the years, travel security has tightened for good reason," said Page. "People are not only concerned that their bags will go missing, but also that the bags are not secure or even securely handled," she added. Page said there's also the risk of airport theft. A massive 45.1 million Americans were predicted to travel at least 50 miles from their homes over Memorial Day weekend — with 3.61 million Americans flying to their destination, according to AAA. In addition, a 2025 summer travel survey from Deloitte has reported that 53% of Americans plan to take leisure vacations this summer, a rise from the 48% reported in 2024. Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital he wouldn't pack anything worth locking in checked bags. "The risk of an airline mishandling your bags is far greater than the risk of theft," said Leff. He added, "Losing luggage is just as bad as having it stolen — and a TSA-approved lock won't stop another passenger from taking your bag at the carousel upon arrival." The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimates that approximately 90,000 to 100,000 items are left behind at checkpoints each month. "There isn't much downside to locking your bag — until, of course, you lose the key or forget the combination," said Leff.
Fox News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Travelers are stuffing basic household item with clothes to avoid flight baggage fees
Summer travel is in full swing after a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend. A massive 45.1 million Americans were predicted to travel at least 50 miles from their homes, with 3.61 million Americans flying to their destination. For those flyers who tend to bring a lot of baggage with them, a viral travel hack involving pillowcases is now apparently helping some passengers avoid checking a bag. The pillowcase travel hack disguises clothes and other soft items as a travel pillow. People are stuffing items into an empty pillowcase — then bringing this item on board for free. Most airlines allow passengers to bring travel pillows without counting the items as baggage. Travel expert Francesca Page of New York told Fox News Digital she recently returned from a trip and noticed an influx of people traveling with their own pillows. "I always thought it was for in-flight comfort, especially for red-eye flights," said Page. "However, I came to find out that that isn't the ONLY reason people are taking their own pillows." Page said that with the "additional tightening of onboard luggage and fees, people will start getting smart about using the case itself to take whatever bulky items can't fit in their bag, because it's not technically considered more than a pillowcase." "You're betting that it just gets a pass." Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital he saw the hack circulate on social media in 2023 and 2024, too. "Nobody minds a pillow as an extra carry-on," said Leff. "It's not going in the overhead bin, or underneath your seat, usually. So you're betting that it just gets a pass." "This trick has been talked up enough, I think, that it's become too obvious to work in many cases. At least there's enough risk that it won't that it's probably not worth trying," he added. Leff said that by bringing more items than allowed just to save on fees, he's seen passengers turn themselves into "human suitcase[s]." Some passengers are even wearing as many clothes as possible along with stuffing their pockets with additional clothes.
Calgary Herald
26-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Flying into Turkey? Wait your turn to stand up on the plane or face a fine
Article content When an aircraft lands at its destination, there are two kinds of people waiting to disembark: those waiting for their aisle's turn before standing to retrieve luggage and those immediately standing to retrieve their bags from overhead when the seatbelt light turns off. Article content Effective May 2, those who do the latter when landing in Turkey could be fined. Article content The country's ministry of transport introduced the new regulation in response to 'a serious increase' in the number of travellers doing so even before the plane had finished taxiing to the gate and with the seatbelt warning still in place, despite the established norm and the warning from the flight crew. Article content Article content Article content A suggested flight announcement in English reminds travellers to stay seated and asks them to 'please respect the disembarkation priority of the passengers in front of or around you and wait for your turn. Article content 'Do not stand up or proceed in the aisle before it is your turn to exit. Passengers who do not comply with the rules will be reported … and an administrative fine will be imposed in accordance with the applicable legal regulations.' Article content The fine will come from the government, not the airline, whose role is only to file a 'passenger ignorance report' to Yüsek's office. Article content Article content Article content At long-running travel site View From the Wing, blogger Gary Leff took on the sometimes polarizing topic and wrote earlier this year that not only is it acceptable, but more people should do it. Article content He said it speeds up deplaning for everyone, and it's courteous to the person hemmed in the middle seat.
Condé Nast Traveler
23-05-2025
- Business
- Condé Nast Traveler
United and Delta Just Landed Their First Non-Stop Flights to Sicily
While most travelers will likely opt for the route that brings them closest to their final destination, there's also the airline's in-flight products to consider. 'For business class passengers, United offers a better in-flight product,' says Gary Leff, aviation expert and Condé Nast Traveler top travel specialist, in to reference to United's lie-flat Polaris seats. On these routes, 'both carriers use Boeing 767s, but in Delta's case this features a much older seat that isn't representative of its Delta One suites,' he notes. It's no coincidence that both carriers are using older planes for their new flights to Sicily. 'Broadly speaking there has been a boom in transatlantic travel and premium leisure travel, so airlines are experimenting with flights they think will appeal to this business,' Leff explains. 'And using older Boeing 767s is a less expensive gamble than if they were sending their newest and largest jets.' Catania is the closest airport to Taormina, one of Sicily's most popular travel destinations. Getty Images According to aviation analytics company Cirium, there will be approximately 5,000 more airline seats flying between the US and Europe this summer compared to 2024. Delta alone will operate up to 110 weekly flights between Italy and the US, increasing its Italy-US offering by 15% from the previous year. 'Catania will be the fifth Italian city served by Delta from the US, along with Rome, Milan, Venice, and Naples,' Matteo Curcio, Delta's senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India said in a press release. 'Sicily is a highly sought-after destination and many Italian Americans have strong bonds with this wonderful Italian region. We are convinced that our service will benefit the region's economy with regards to incoming tourism, as well as offering great connectivity to the US for Sicilians.'
