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Tom Stuker is known as United’s number one flyer. He’s racked up over 24 million miles flown on the carrier thanks to an unlimited flight pass that he purchased back in 1990. Stuker was celebrated by United and even had his name put on the side of two aircraft, but rumors are swirling that United has now cancelled this pass due to a reported breach in the terms of the golden ticket that unlocked unlimited flights.
The Washington Post profiled the 70-year-old, New Jersey car dealership consultant last year when he crossed the 23-million-mile threshold. The article details Stuker’s flying, the redemptions that he has made using the miles (like redeeming $50,000 worth of Walmart gift cards in a single day or redoing his brother’s home with gift cards earned from redeeming miles), and more about his travel habits. It also spilled the beans on a long-held secret: how exactly was all of that travel funded? It turns out that Stuker made a very wise investment in a lifetime pass for a reported sum of $290,000 (he actually paid $510,000 total for his pass and one for a companion). This is said to have granted him unlimited access to First and Business Class travel on United Airlines worldwide.
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inunitedairlines
Posters on both Reddit and FlyerTalk are now discussing a rumor that Stuker’s pass was cancelled by United after he participated in the interview with The Washington Post. There is no way to prove the validity of these claims (and I hope that Stuker provides some insight on FlyerTalk, where he frequently posts). If it has been revoked, then United has shifted away from the brand ambassador that it once lauded with parties, custom jackets, and exclusive access to the airline.
I met Stuker once on a flight within the United States several years ago. We share a favorite seat (1B) and he was seated in it. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and was being doted on by the flight crew. It would be a bad public relations move for United to toss out someone that has talked so highly of the airline for so many years, but the contract tied to the pass might have had a clause that prohibited media interviews around it or something else that provided an out. This has been speculated by some and again cannot be proven unless confirmed by either United Airlines or Stuker (and I don’t see them benefitting from sharing the details).
Anthony’s Take: We may never know if the pass was cancelled or not. Honestly, it’s not the business of anyone other than Stuker and United. It’s incredible to have flown more than 24 million miles and whether that’s the end of his 34-year mileage run. I hope this is just rumor and wish Stuker many more flights.
(Featured Image Credit: United Airlines.)
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He was at a conference and confirmed it.
Thomas Stuker got flagged on FlyerTalk by the site’s alias detector tool for having a duplicate member account. That is technically against the rules of the site, although the site allows craigz and some others to operate two member accounts. FlyerTalk Mods thought that the account used by his brother was his account just because they shared the same electronic device. Lucky for United megaflyer Stucker, Sandiego1K told new community director NWIFlyer and the mods to back off from going after one of the site’s few “celebrity” members and they heeded her wise words on this issue and not suspend him for having a shared device with his brother.
TWA884? If so, how is your hunt for me coming along? Enjoy the FT Mod Do near LAX on Halloween weekend. Boo.
I miss GUWONDER on FT
Villainizing and expelling United’s most beloved and celebrated loyalist? What could possibly go wrong? Just when I thought that maybe just maybe United had returned to form as a solid-to-good airline more of this Kirby stuff with horrifically bad decisions returns. The guy just doesn’t know how to run a full service airline IMO.
Might also be related to the crackdown on the lifetime GS daisychain abuse
Has the crackdown on the lifetime GS daisy-chain been anything more than just ending the practice without closing down accounts of those who participated in the daisy-chain of note? Stucker has been generous with sharing some of the returns he has generated from the lifetime travel pass, and maybe that included daisy-chain participation. Even if not, this shows that United is at it to try to crackdown on creative uses of the programs UA has had out there and that means increased risk of being a casualty for being a player in the games.