Man has flown 20 million miles with P752K lifetime pass he bought in 1990
A man bought a United Airlines lifetime pass for $290,000 (P752,000 at that time) in 1990, and it is by far his "best investment" in life.
Tom Stuker from New Jersey has been flying around the globe like true royalty after availing himself of the lifetime pass more than three decades ago.
According to a column by The Washington Post, the lifetime pass allowed the 69-year-old car dealership consultant to accumulate a total of 23 million miles. He has set foot in over 100 countries and treated his wife to 120 honeymoons in three decades.
In 2019, Tom shared that he had 373 trips in a year and accumulated 1.46 million miles.
He also shared that his passion for flying was ignited after visiting Australia in 1984 for work, where he fell in love with the country and has since returned over 300 times.
The semi-retired consultant said he travels for the sheer joy of it, not for any specific purpose. “I just really love everything about flying,” he told the New York Post.
Tom took full advantage of his frequent-flier status, redeeming his miles for "lavish hotel suites, weeks-long cruises, and gourmet meals" all over the world. He even used his miles to help renovate his brother's house and cash out $50,000 worth of Walmart gift cards in a single day, before United Airlines stopped giving out passes to its fliers.
He also won a charity auction by bidding 451,000 miles to appear on an episode of Seinfeld in season 7.
How does United Airlines react to this? As their frequent flier for three decades, Tom is loved and valued by the airline that it named two airplanes after him, “Thomas R. Stuker, Customer.”
They also ask for his input in curating the menu in their premiere Polaris clubs. And sometimes, he is transported to the next gate in a Mercedes “when he has a tight connection.”
Tom explained that airlines used to sell passes because "it helped cash flow, [but] it’s not needed anymore,” he said.
“I think I’m not needed anymore but I’m so, so grateful for United offering that, and yes, I have taken advantage of it tremendously,” he shared.
Tom is currently a member of United's exclusive Global Services club, which only invites travelers who have flown four million miles or more.
