If you could pay right now for every single flight for the rest of your life, would you do it?
It might be a high price to pay in the moment, but who knows how much more expensive things could get in the future? It could be the investment of a lifetime.
Of course, this question relies on there actually being a way for passengers to buy their flights in bulk - and back in 1990, there was.
At the time, United Airlines offered what was known as its 'lifetime' pass - and it's exactly what it sounds like. The pass allowed customers to fly as much as they wanted for one lump sum - $290,000.
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It's a lot of money even before we start talking about inflation, but New Jersey car dealership consultant Tom Stuker saw the value in the pass and decided to buy it.
According to an article on the Live and Let's Fly website, written by an author who is 'friends' with Stuker, one of the reasons he bought the pass was because his business required frequent travel to Australia. Another reason was more simple: he just loves to fly.
Stuker has since spent 35 years traveling on the pass, and has racked up not only a whole host of memories, but also a huge amount of miles.
With the help of more than 300 trips to Australia and 120 'honeymoons' with his wife, Stuker has surpassed 24 million miles. For context, the average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 238,855 miles - so it's safe to say Stuker has had his money's worth.
Stuker hit the 24 million mile threshold with a United Airlines flight from Newark to San Francisco on May 17, 2024, and he's described the lifetime pass as the 'best investment of [his] life'.
Obviously we can't ignore the fact that plane travel isn't exactly the best for the environment, but Stuker had a defence for that criticism when he spoke to GQ in 2020.
In the interview, he said: “I’m not adding to the footprint. The plane is going to fly whether I’m on it or not. It would be much more relevant if I was flying in a private jet. Those are the people who can help the environment much more than I can if they flew commercial.”
United has since stopped selling its lifetime pass, but at least the company succeeded in making Stuker happy with his!
Topics: Travel, Business, Australia, Environment
Emily Brown