A United Airlines Passenger Has Flown 23 Million Miles After Purchasing a Lifetime Pass in 1990

Airline customers have become accustomed to getting fleeced for everything from baggage fees to priority seating over the years, so it always feels good to hear of someone who's able to game the system. And no one has arguably been more successful than one man who purchased an United Airlines lifetime pass in 1990.

Tom Stuker, a 69-year-old car dealership consultant living in New Jersey, purchased the pass for a not-insignificant sum of $290,000. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Stuker says it was "the best investment of his life." He's been reaping the benefits ever since, and has made his money back countless times over.

Stuker has since flown 23 million miles, more than any human being in history. In 2019 alone, which was his busiest year of traveling, he took 373 flights covering 1.46 million miles—more than six trips to the moon. If he had paid for those flights in cash, they would have cost him $2.44 million just for the year 2019 alone.

But the flights alone are hardly where the perks end. To the contrary, Stuker realized that frequent flier miles are good for more than just booking flights. And as such, he's used them to pay for lavish hotels, gourmet meals, gift cards (he once cashed $50,000 in Walmart gift cards in a single day), and even an appearance on Seinfeld.

Once, Stuker even traveled for 12 days straight—from Newark to San Francisco to Bangkok to Dubai and back again—without ever sleeping in a bed, just to rack up frequent flier miles. It was the equivalent of four trips around the world and he only saw the inside of an airport lounge between treks.

But if you'd think United Airlines would be livid at the grift, that couldn't be further from the truth.

Stuker is a next-level VIP, who gets settled in his preferred 1B seat even before premier silver, gold, and platinum members. He's had his name emblazoned on United planes not once, but twice; designed the menu at the carrier's new Polaris clubs; and has a Mercedes waiting on the tarmac for him when he has a tight connection to make. When he calls the 1-800 United Airlines customer service number, Stuker is immediately greeted by name.

Unfortunately, it's too late to leverage this frequent flier hack, as United stopped selling the lifetime passes years ago. But you certainly have to admire the man's ingenuity.