View From The Wing
Gary Leff is Chief Financial Officer for a university research center, where he gets to hang out with Nobel laureates in economics, a member of the 9/11 Commission, and a New Zealand Cabinet Minister. He's also the Chairman of a non-profit that provides networking and professional development opportunities for young people in policy, politics, and journalism.
In addition to blogging about his miles and points obsession, he's currently the member-elected TalkBoard President and a senior moderator at Flyertalk.com. He has been cited or profiled in numerous publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Washington Post.
The Gate
Brian Cohen first became a frequent flier in 1988 when he joined the OnePass frequent flier loyalty program, which at that time was shared by both Continental Airlines and Eastern Airlines. Shortly thereafter, he caught the fever of the obsession of miles, points and elite status and became a member of numerous frequent traveler loyalty programs -- an obsession which still exists today.
In 1992, he launched his own company, BRC Associates, Inc., of which he is currently President and Chief Executive Officer. Because his clients and customers are located all over the United States and in several other countries, Brian continues enjoying the opportunity to travel, earn points and miles, and maintain elite status.
Brian could have been an Original Member of FlyerTalk in 1998 had he not been overseas during its launch and had he not an aversion to joining an Internet bulletin board. However, the changes proposed by Delta Air Lines in December 2002 compelled him to finally join FlyerTalk after being a long-time "lurker" and he is now one of four Senior Moderators on FlyerTalk, as well as a co-moderator of two forums. He continues to earn countless points and miles, while maintaining elite status, visiting many places around the world, and meeting dozens of people he now considers friends of his -- all because of FlyerTalk.
The Gate
Kiwi Flyer is an avid collector of points, miles and status. KF is usually on a plane or at an airport or at a do, and if not will be planning the next trip - with the best possible comfort vs cost vs frequent flyer benefits trade-off thanks to FlyerTalk. Kiwi aims to travel to all countries of the globe and currently has visited about 80 of them.
The Cranky Flier
Brett Snyder, a self-professed airline dork, says he's had the bug since he was young. As a kid, he never missed a chance to go to LAX and pick up airline timetables and his grandmother even took him to an airport hotel for his birthday one year so he could watch the planes land. By the age of 12, he had become a travel agent and it wasn't long before he was volunteering at Traveler's Aid.
Since then, Brett has worked for USAir (before it was US Airways), America West (uh, also before it was US Airways), Eos (which still isn't US Airways), and United (which tried to buy US Airways but failed) mostly in revenue management, marketing, and sales. Today, he is out of the industry but the blog keeps him connected.
Upgrade: Travel Better
Upgrade: Travel Better is written by Mark Ashley, a writer and frequent traveler who lives by the blog's motto of "Living the first class life, at coach prices."
Mark's blog provides news, travel tips, and commentary on happenings and trends in the travel industry for the traveler looking to maximize comfort, style, and convenience, while getting a great deal. It is not a travelogue or traditional travel writing per se. The blog focuses primarily on the mechanics of travel, seen from a consumer's point of view.
The blog began in February 2006 at the urging of friends, who felt that his travel and deal-finding experience needed a web presence. He's cashed in hundreds of thousands of miles over the years on vacations that he could not have easily afforded otherwise. He does not work in the travel industry (though he had a brief stint in the hospitality business many years ago.)
Joe Sharkey at Large
Joe Sharkey writes for major national and international publications. He has been a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, a reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal and a columnist for the New York Times.
A Philadelphia native and Vietnam veteran, Joe lives near New York with his wife. He is the author of six books, two in development as movies. On Sept. 29, he was one of seven people on a business jet who survived a mid-air collision with a 737 over the Amazon. All 154 on the 737 died. His report on the crash appeared on the front page of the New York Times and later in the Sunday Times of London magazine. After the crash, he incorporated posts on Brazil into what had started as a general travel blog. To avoid confusion, a new blog, "Joe Sharkey: Brazil" (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/sharkeyonbrazil/) has been created for Brazil posts, as well as to archive his previous Brazil posts. Each is a personal blog by a freelance writer solely responsible for its content.
Travel Commons
Mark Peacock has been a frequent business traveler for over 20 years. Beginning with his first flight on his first day of work (ORD to DFW), Mark has traveled extensively for high-tech companies and management consultancies.
The first TravelCommons podcast was recorded May 2005 in the bathroom of the Wardman Park Marriott in Washington, DC. TravelCommons was supposed to be a travel blog, an outlet for the travel journal entries Mark would jot down while waiting out flight delays. However, he soon combined those travel stories with his high school radio broadcasting experience to produce the "Voice of the Traveler" podcast.
Mark has lived in Chicago, Memphis, Louisville, Washington DC, the Bay Area, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Detroit. He is back in Chicago for the third time, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Points Wizard
For almost two decades R. Keller, the founder of Pointswizard.com (also an educator and an MBA), has been strategizing to accumulate the maximum amount of points and miles in the shortest time possible.
His family has traveled to countless places around the world for free or for a minimum amount of money. Stories of his free trips spread amongst friends, families and even strangers. R. Keller's proclivities for business, education and points programs evolved naturally into a consulting program that allowed those outside of his immediate circle to be guided in his travel strategies.
R. Keller is dedicated to bringing you the latest information on points programs and how to easily accumulate points and miles, making the most out of every purchase or transaction. Read his blog for tips on how to fly or stay for free or at amazingly discounted prices, truly making the globe your playground.
Travel Tech Talk
Kneedeep in gadgets, Scott Carmichael started his obsession with lights and buttons by selling computer parts out of lockers he rented from classmates. He's carried a PDA since 1985 and a cell phone since 1991. Scott has flown well over a million miles to date, including a trip to New York on Concorde just to get his hands on a Xbox before anyone else in Europe could.
In 2002 he founded Farealert.net which got nationwide media attention from Forbes, USA Today, Fox News, MSNBC to name just a few.
After living in 4 different countries Scott has now settled in the US Midwest with his wife and daughter.
One Mile at a Time
Ben is a college student and avid points collector living in Florida. He travels nearly 200,000 miles per year, mostly with United and the Star Alliance. He has visited over 30 countries and counting, and has a particular interest in the Asian-Pacific region. Beyond blogging on Boardingarea.com, being a student and traveling, Ben spends considerable time on FlyerTalk.com under the handle "lucky9876coins", serving on the TalkBoard, FlyerTalk's member elected board.