What is “popular” should help you understand why I tend to focus on the stories that I do. As we close out the year of 2023, I’m looking back at the 10 most popular posts of 2023 in terms...

What is “popular” should help you understand why I tend to focus on the stories that I do. As we close out the year of 2023, I’m looking back at the 10 most popular posts of 2023 in terms of traffic on Live and Let’s Fly.

The trend is clear and has repeated itself for several years: people like reading bad news. I guess it is not a surprise in our clickbait culture, but the results are clear well beyond the top-10 list below. As you will see, not a single “positive” story made the cut for the fourth year in a row.

Although my incredibly time-consuming trip reports never make the top-10 list, I have to remind myself that I actually write to myself first and foremost and that it must always be that way. I’ve also been even more overtly political and religious this year than every before, which is not so much for clicks (frankly, this turns off many readers and is not great for short-term business) but rather finally feeling comfortable enough to risk offending some readers. But I don’t aggressively sell you credit cards and even if you disagree with me, I hope you can at least appreciate how I come to my worldview on a number of topics we have discussed this year. I make mistakes and always try to own up to them when I do. Sometimes I say things that I wish I could take back. That, I hope, is what sets this blog apart from the pack.

But without further ado, here are the ten most popular posts from 2023:

10. My Foolish $1,000 Airport Lounge Visit

9. United Airlines Frequent Flyer Threatened With “No Fly List” For Requesting Leftover First Class Meal

8. Senator Mocks Biden For Falling Down, Falls Off Airplane

7. United Airlines Flight Delayed After Cleveland Browns “Trash” Plane (Update)

6.  Genius: Florida Restaurant Owner Shames “Dine And Dash” Customers

5. Man Repeatedly Punches United Airlines Gate Agent After She Asked Him To Vacate First Class Seat He Poached

4. American Airlines First Class Passenger Dragged Off Plane After Demanding Pre-Departure Beverage

3. “Don’t You Ever Tell Me To Speak English!” (Fight Breaks Out On My United Airlines Flight)

2. Unreal: Woman Drops Pants And Squats To Pee On Aisle Floor When Flight Attendant Denies Her Lavatory Access On Florida Flight

1. Mysterious Woman On American Airlines IDed As Texas Marketing Executive

Many thanks to Kyle Stewart and 121pilot for their contributions and insight over the last year. Both are a pleasure to work with and I am deeply grateful for their helpful contributions.

Here at Live and Let’s Fly, we do not avoid clickbait, but still try to make it worth your while to click through any story we write. Plus, this year has featured more trip reports, particularly hotel and flight reviews, than in any past year, and also in a more timely manner (though I have traveled so much I always feel like I am way behind). We look forward to bringing you more content worth reading in 2024. We also welcome your suggestions for how we might offer you even more relevant content that is worth reading and sharing.

Finally, a warning to longtime readers. I’ve been told that we are leaving massive amounts of money on the table by not focusing on a credit cards more here. I’ve always avoided that sort of business model, but you may see more credit card focus going forward, which if it happens would be more akin to the style of FrequentMiler rather than trying to sell you products you don’t need or not share best offers, regardless of affiliate link.

I appreciate your support of this website and the independent voice it offers.

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