26-6-2023 (NEW JERSEY) Tom Stuker from New Jersey has flown more than 23 million miles, taking more than 12,000 flights as of July 2022. He is the world’s most frequent flier and has travelled to 100 countries and gone on over 120 honeymoons with his wife, staying in lavish hotel suites and even appearing on an episode of the US sitcom Seinfeld. How did he do it? By purchasing a lifetime pass from United Airlines for $290,000 in 1990.
Stuker’s accumulated miles are enough to cover more than six trips to the moon, and he once went 12 straight days without sleeping on a bed, travelling from Newark to San Francisco to Bangkok and Dubai and back again, equivalent to four trips around the world. Before COVID-19, he spent between 200 and 250 days a year in the air.
Being a loyal customer has its perks. United Airlines has put Stuker’s name on two planes, allowed him to help design the menu at their premium Polaris clubs, and even has a Mercedes ready on the tarmac to ferry him to his next gate when he has to make a quick connection.
Stuker became United’s first passenger to hit 10 million miles in 2009 and reached the 20-million-mile mark in 2019, celebrated onboard with champagne for his fellow passengers.
Aside from flights and travel benefits, Stuker has used his miles to turn into enough gift cards to redo his brother’s house and cashed $50,000 worth of gift cards from Walmart in a single day. He even used 451,000 miles to bid at a charity auction, winning the chance to appear in an episode of Seinfeld.
Asked about the environmental impact of flying so often, Stuker argues that he has a clean conscience, stating that the plane would fly whether he was on it or not. He believes that those flying on private jets should be more responsible for the environment.
