Gary Leff, one of the world’s foremost experts on air travel and loyalty programs, will join us for a wide-ranging discussion on the past, present, and future of flying and travel. The author of the website View From The Wing will share his deep knowledge of aviation economics, airline loyalty strategies and the quirks of government travel regulation.
Leff will unpack how government policy and industry lobbying often conspire to limit competition and consumer choices for travel. Government interventions, driven by anti-competitive corporate behavior, distort competition, pricing, and service. These stories offer a window into how regulation—not consumer demand—shapes much of what travelers experience.
Beyond industry battles, Leff will dive into the economics of loyalty programs, credit card rewards, and the surprising ways airlines have evolved into financial companies that happen to run a fleet of planes. He’ll explore whether elite airline status is still worth chasing, the hidden costs of hotel and restaurant service changes, and why low-cost carriers thrive in some markets but flop in others. Looking ahead, Leff sees the future of air travel in smaller, more flexible aircraft—if regulators allow them—along with emerging uses of AI in the travel industry.
Witty, insightful, and unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom, Gary Leff blends deep economic analysis with practical advice for travelers. Whether you’re curious why airline prices swing so wildly, what seat to book for your next trip, or how government policies affect where and how you fly, this event promises an engaging tour through the fascinating world of travel.
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025
Buffet Lunch: 11:30am - 12:00pm
Program: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
The Louie Building (6th floor)
123 W. Allegan St.
Lansing, MI, 48933
Call our Events office at
This event is free, but RSVP is required by November 3.
Register online
Gary Leff is author of ViewFromTheWing.com,
He’s served as an expert witness in federal trials related to air travel bookings, rewards programs, and civil asset forfeiture and consults with financial firms and banks valuing airline frequent flyer programs and designing rewards programs. Gary has appeared across major media, such as The Colbert Report, The Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and CNN Business Traveler. He’s been profiled in Town & Country, Executive Travel, Washington Post, and Washington Business Journal. And he regularly keynotes industry conferences.
Gary has been called an “Air Genius” and “an airline industry brainiac, who you might think of as the Nate Silver of his domain.” He has also been called “the internet’s biggest travel nerd” by Wired and “the godfather of the [frequent flyer] hobby” in Rolling Stone. Ron Lieber in the New York Times describes him as “a travel industry blogger with a specialty in spanking companies that devalue their loyalty programs” and says that his “trenchant blogging about the airline industry gives some executives fits.”
David Guenthner is the executive director of workers for opportunity at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He joined the Center in 2018 as senior strategist for state affairs after 11 years with the Texas Policy Foundation. In addition to leading the Mackinac Center’s government affairs strategy, David also manages the Center’s criminal justice policy portfolio.
Beyond his role at the Mackinac Center, David serves as a Partner Advisor for the Michigan Justice Fund and co-chairman of the Michigan Electoral College Coalition. He is a private sector member on the Task Force on Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development for the American Legislative Exchange Council, having previously served three years on its Task Force on Criminal Justice.
David received his B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a double major in political science and speech communication and a minor in economics. He is a 2020 graduate of the Atlas Network’s Executive Accelerator and a 2023 graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies.
