Man With 10 Million Air Miles Gets Plane Named After Him 249
Chicago car salesman Thomas Stuker has set a record by accumulating an astonishing 10 million air miles on United Airlines. In the past 29 years Thomas has flown almost 6,000 times - racking up a total mileage that would circle the Earth 400 times. From the article: "Mr Stuker has already been highly rewarded with access to a special lounge at the airlines hub in Chicago, first-class upgrades as a matter of course and even a plane named after him on the fleet."
Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:5, Funny)
Congratulations, sir and welcome to first-class. Here is your 4-ounce Dr. Pepper and complimentary half-bag of potato chips.
Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:4, Insightful)
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True, he has clearly never flown first class. I don't usually either, but the last time I got upgraded it was a 7am flight. I asked for some orange juice, and the attendant asked "how about a mimosa?" I was in fact on my second one before we started taxiing :)
Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:5, Informative)
You're doing it wrong then...
I am at a million and have not seen economy seats in the last two years, even though I buy nothing but economy tickets...
You may be stuck on an airline that does not have 2+ class service.
Again, you are doing it wrong by not participating in an airline program, or have not flown a million miles, or have been flying for the last 20 years and not hitting 50.000 miles a year on one airline, or always fly the same route, weekday and time on a plane where upgrades are impossible (planes with a small number of business/first class seats, while flying hub to hub).
The trick is, say with one airline (or hotel chain) as much as possible.
Silver level (typically 25.000 miles plus) will give you a small chance of upgrades (it happens on off-days/times).
Gold (typically 50.000 miles plus) will give you a decent chance of upgrade on many routes, however, if you fly between hub airports you may be out of luck.
Platinum (or whatever; 75.000 miles or more) is what you aim for. Almost certain to upgrade on flights unless your flight is an international feeder or hub to hub with nothing but status people. I have seen flights where United Global Services people (special invitation only) fly middle seat economy.
And finally, if you have status, most airlines will give you ways of getting free booze in economy in case you are stuck there (vouchers or friendly flight attendants).
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I agree with you about the snack, though. Need 4 or 5 of those to tide me over on a cross-country filght. But again, usually once everyone has gotten 1 they will let you have more.
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Mid 1990s, American Airlines, Miami to Boston - 6+ hours in the air non-stop. One time I got a 3/4 ounce bag of peanuts. The next time I flew that route it was only 1/2 ounce of peanuts.
If I was about to faint, I'm sure I could have begged for more, they might have even had some stale soda crackers available, upon request.
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One time I got a 3/4 ounce bag of peanuts. The next time I flew that route it was only 1/2 ounce of peanuts.
I once drove my car six hours from Vancouver, BC to Portland OR. NO ONE gave me free food! Can you believe it? I actually had to bring my own in the car.
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I flew on Southwest yesterday and received peanuts on both legs of my flight.
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Southwest, as the only airline not approved by the galactic empire, is probably not a good example.
They are much less evil than the others due to the fact they can actually make money honestly.
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The (anecdotal) evidence seems to disagree with you and your snarky attitude, which was totally uncalled for, by the way.
To add even more anecdotal evidence, I've flown a few times recently (on 3 different airlines) and have had full cans of soda or whatever. Even got free beer in the Seattle area, though that was probably promotional money paid by Red Hook.
So yes, the original poster's concept of what is given on flights is, in general, wrong, and if we accept that his experience was characteristic of the
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I've been on roughly 30 flights just in the past 5 years, yes a lot has changed since the pre 9/11 days. First of all, ticket prices don't seem to be rising nearly as fast as inflation. In 1994 I went to Brazil and my ticket was $1500. In 2007 I went back and my ticket was $1100. So yes, profit margains for airlines has strunk considerably. Y
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When I'm in the US, I prefer to drive, ride or take the train. I'll fly if I have to, but I don't like going through TSA. I'm not a picky traveler. I'll eat whatever and sit wherever but just the general tone of foreign airlines is much nicer. Metal knives and forks (that TSA wouldn't let you bring anyway). Staff that doesn't seem as dickish, often actually polite! I like tilting at windmills and one of them is US based airlines. I see spending the extra $70 as well worth it.
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Go easy on him, he's probably just wondering how the plane flies with no propellers.
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It's weird. The labor cost of passing out the tiny snacks must exceed the cost of the tiny snacks.
Perhaps the tiny portions mean that most of the snacks are completely consumed, simplifying waste cleanup.
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That may be true, but they wouldn't need as many stewardesses in the first place if they didn't serve food and drinks.
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There are legal requirements for the number of passengers per cabin crew member, for safety purposes. I believe it's in the region of one per fifty passengers. Since you have to have them on the plane, they might as well sell stuff.
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Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:4, Informative)
The labor cost is free. Instead of doing nothing, the steward(ess) is passing out snacks. It's not like they'll hire more people to pass out snacks... but the FAA requires them to have so many people onboard already.
Now, if you don't get your 2nd snack b/c the steward(ess) is busy, then they don't give a damn.
Besides, every time you ask for a refill is another attempt to get you to buy an alcoholic beverage/meal/whatever other upcharge.
Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:4, Insightful)
The "service" personnel in coach are actually safety officers - but rather than have them sit around looking like air marshals, they attempt to get them to keep the customers happy. Of course, at the wages they pay, it's amazing there aren't more dramatic Take this Job and Shove It [nbcnewyork.com] events.
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The GP was using simile by comparing flight attendants to air marshals. The point is that the FAA requires a certain number of cabin crew depending on the size of the plane and so that's the number of cabin crew airlines employ. There's no requirements for the cabin crew to actually do anything other than the safety briefings or handle emergency situations.
The point is that "rather than have them sit around looking like air marshals" the airlines have them do other things.
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My interpretation of the posts above is not that JoeMerchant is implying that all flight attendants are Air Marshalls. He's saying that their primary purpose is promoting safety from accidental harm, and that they simultaneously work to provide a more comfortable atmosphere rather than passively sitting around like an Air Marshal would in their respective role of promoting safety.
It's less intimidating to have a steward/stewardess, than to have a "safety officer" patrolling the aisles, even if they both sha
Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:5, Interesting)
Here is your 4-ounce Dr. Pepper and complimentary half-bag of potato chips.
Apparently, you've never flown First Class. On a KLM hop from London to Amsterdam, I sat in First - the chips and soda were in the back, but it was lunchtime and a decent meal was provided in First. More impressive than the food was the fact that one man took a little longer to finish than the rest of us. When he did hand his tray to one stewardess, another stewardess pressed a button that set off a chime in the cockpit - within 5 seconds the pilot announced and started our descent into Amsterdam.
If you're not paying full fare, you're just baggage.
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He paid for his seat, and he was given consideration in return, I imagine after they burned a few hundred pounds of jet fuel waiting for him they might have prompted him to finish up, but that's not how it worked out that day.
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He paid for his seat, and he was given consideration in return
By being inconsiderate to all the other passengers on the plane, including first class ones. This story doesn't make any sense.
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Most times I eat lunch at a restaurant, I end up waiting for the entire table to finish before our check(s) are brought around - this wasn't much different - about 12 seats total in First that day. As to whether or not it makes sense, it was something I experienced - I have experienced lots of things that make less sense than this.
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there's a certain amount of float about when the announcement to land can be made, so they used that. big deal.
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Or he did.. and it was on US Airways. Their first class in the US is awful.
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I think I've flown about five times since 9/11, but before that I did fly fairly often. First Class, and even Business on American meant something back in the day - access to nice lounges, good service to go with the big seats. United wasn't bad, either. Earlier poster isn't kidding about being on your 2nd drink before the back rows are permitted to board.
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International flights and flights on european airlines and in first class are a different animal entirely. I flew on Air Canada in first class and received two meals (microwave dinners, but hey), abundant snacks and alcohol, etc. for a 7 hour flight.
Domestic airlines in the US, beaten to a pulp by labor unions and rising fuel prices, cut every corner possible while increasing fares and fees and still are on the financial brink.
Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:4, Informative)
That sounds remarkably like a coincidence of timing. The flight attendants do tell the pilot when the passengers have started/finished eating/getting snacks and when they have finished picking up baggage, but not with a chime. That's what the little phones with blinky lights are for.
The chime that she pressed was likely letting the pilots know that the attendants are done and can now sit down and buckle up - something still required of them during takeoff and landing. The pilots, furthermore, have the discretion to begin an ascent/descent at any time they wish, by simply requesting it of the ATC operator. It is probably the case that they started descending to avoid weather, traffic, or some other factor...or simply because the pilot felt like beginning his descent at that point. Pilots will rarely ever wait until the last waypoint they cross before an altitude requirement to begin a descent - that means steep drops that upset passengers' stomachs.
A plane will never hold a landing for a passenger, unless there is a security issue with said passenger, or a medical emergency which would be worsened on descent. Even if you're in first class: if you take too long to eat, the attendants will still come by and tell you it's time to pack it up and stow the tray table.
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And yet we still somehow end up in the same city when the plane lands. Imagine that.
Cargo's there, too - that's what he meant about being baggage.
BTW, what "public transit" is there between London and Amsterdam? If all you mean is "common carrier", well, that's what an airline is.
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There's about 300km from London to Amsterdam. However, due to this little thing called the North Sea, the trip on a high-speed train (a real one) takes a bit more than 4 hours (if you get your connection right between the Thalys and the Eurostar in Brussels). Otherwise it takes about 5 hours.
But of course the train will take you from Amsterdam Centraal to London Victoria, not from Schiphol to Hearthrow, Luton, or, God forbid, Gatwick.
So overall, I'm not sure which trip is going to release the largest amount
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Why don't you go to flyertalk, it's like the /. of air travel. .
That's an intriguing way to put it; flyertalk can really open your eyes and you can learn a lot. There are a lot of flying nerds out there and I now know the difference between the various first/"world business" levels of service.
I still travel coach, but now I know whether I should waste freq flyer miles on upgrades or not!
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If you ask for a can of pop, they'll give you a can of pop, even in coach, dude.
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Hi, you must be new here.
Re:Yet *still* no full-sized soft drink (Score:4, Funny)
I know! I've been here for years and that asshole Taco still hasn't given me a bag of peanuts!
And more importantly (Score:4, Insightful)
He is still alive.
Re:And more importantly (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:And more importantly (Score:5, Funny)
He flies first class. They actually get to molest TSA agents instead in first class.
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He may be alive, but is he sane? I can't imagine dealing with TSA, gate agents, and all of the other hassles that go with air travel that many times.
It's like any other B.S. in life, if you do it enough, it doesn't bother you. TSA will always be a sore spot for a lot of people because they just don't encounter it often enough to develop the social callouses.
Re:And more importantly (Score:5, Informative)
It's like any other B.S. in life, if you do it enough, it doesn't bother you. TSA will always be a sore spot for a lot of people because they just don't encounter it often enough to develop the social callouses.
I fly at least monthly and it still bothers me, it has since 2001. The only way to get through the TSA line quickly is to smile politely and be half-naked by the time it's your turn. Take off your belt, stuff your watch in your jacket pocket before it goes through the X-ray (because they tell you to keep it on, it always beeps though, leading to a pat down), remove your shoes and hold your boarding pass in your teeth so your hands are free to throw everything on the belt. It kind of takes the fun out of traveling for some reason....
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Sounds like some kind of dance.
Re:And more importantly (Score:4, Funny)
Sounds like some kind of dance.
Yes, it's called the Safety Dance.
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stuff your watch in your jacket pocket before it goes through the X-ray (because they tell you to keep it on, it always beeps though, leading to a pat down)
"Watch"? Isn't that one of those quaint old devices people used to wear on their wrists to tell the time, before the invention of cellphones?
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stuff your watch in your jacket pocket before it goes through the X-ray (because they tell you to keep it on, it always beeps though, leading to a pat down)
"Watch"? Isn't that one of those quaint old devices people used to wear on their wrists to tell the time, before the invention of cellphones?
It's also a device that doesn't need charging, can be used as a compass if the sun's up and depending on where you're traveling, is less likely to be stolen due to the relative difficulty of removing it from your person.
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I can't say I've ever worried much about my cheap (free actually, with 2-year plan) cellphone being stolen. And since I carry it on me at all times, I've never had much trouble keeping it charged.
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No, no, no and no.
Life the way you're living it sounds like it sucks.
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But, consider - do you throw yourself out of bed and transport yourself to a designated location at a designated time 5 days a week? This doesn't bother you?
By doing this activity, people are rewarded with "money", which they can then exchange for other things like housing, food, and entertainment. It's not like they're just doing it because they're forced to.
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But, consider - do you throw yourself out of bed and transport yourself to a designated location at a designated time 5 days a week? This doesn't bother you? How about standing in line for 20 minutes just for the privilege of paying for some trivial thing? Or, giving 50 percent of your income away to a half a dozen taxing agencies who mostly do things with it that you don't care for or approve of?
Life sucks all over, and TSA security theater is just the latest absurdity to come along
If I spend enough time thinking about it there are certainly a lot of things I put up with without complaint but air travel is still the only one where I'm treated like a potential criminal simply for choosing to go somewhere.
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I had one trip with transfers where I was pulled aside for the random explosives check at every boarding opportunity both ways. A traveling companion remarked on it at one of the smaller airports, the security officer said I looked "too innocent".
Go figure.
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One interesting observation, in the articles photo he is flanked by two attractive fl
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I don't want to sound harsh, but if that's what you consider attractive, more power to you. The one on the right is somewhat attractive, but neither is what I would consider to be the typical "attractive" flight attendant.
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When I have flown first class there are two possible scenarios that numb the thrill:
Either way, I'm inevitably flying home on the cheapest ticket they can find. One time I flew out in first class and went back on a train (1100KM).
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Yes, those who do not quickly comply without complaint are always to blame.
Still alive, you say? (Score:2)
Any armchair physicists care to calculate his levels of radiation exposure when you combine the flight time with the new-fangled porno-scanners? :)
Poor guy, he's gone through more than anyone should have to endure.
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Unless my math is way off, 20,000 hours of flight time is about 50 mSv total. So he could take five times that in a single dose and likely not suffer any ill effects.
The porno-scanners are negligible (at least the published numbers for the porno-scanners are).
As usual, people freak out about the least likely dangers - he's way more likely to die of a pu
my favorite part of "Tron" (Score:2)
Oh wait, that was Jeff Bridges...
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No, that was George Clooney.
10 full time years? (Score:2)
Check my math... 10e6 miles / 0.5e3 miles per hour = 20e3 hours, right? Did this in my head and its early in the morning... Standard work year is about 2e3 hours so he's spent 10 years equivalent of a full time job sitting in an airplane? With airport hassles he's probably up to 15 years of FTE work?
What has he done with his 15 years of "work"? Are there even 20k hours of audio books worth listening to?
Another back o ye envelope 10e6 miles / 6e3 flights = 1.2/3e3 miles per flight or rephrased 1667 miles
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He likely slept through a lot of it.
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No, see, he's been flying west the whole time, so he gets more hours per day.
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I get the same thing, but if you look at it another way - ~20 hours a week for 29 years, he could have conceivably just been traveling an average of 4 hours a day and spending the rest of his time getting to and from the airport, with an occasional sales meeting thrown in.
Be careful of job offers from companies that are just starting a big vendor qualification push - there is usually an engineer or two who lives this constant travel lifestyle for a year or two during fresh vendor qualifications for a signif
Well obviously (Score:2)
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more averages;
6000/30 flights/year ~ 200 flights/year
Say his work days are Mon - Fri, that would be 52*5 = 260 working days per year. Assuming his flights are on working days and an even spread, ~4 out of his 5 working days involve a flight - for the past 29 years!
The airline should put a statue of him on display, this is far beyond the "naming planes out of you" point.
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Double miles? Relatives in India? Who knows. When I traveled to Australia/New Zealand and back I got a LOT more than 1667 miles...
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The GP was trying to calculate based on the number of work years. That is, if he was on a plane or in the airport everyday from 8-5, when regular folks are at the office.
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20000h/24h/d=833 days
I don't know about you, but I don't usually work 24 hours a day for 833 consecutive days.
Better Comparison Than To Clooney... (Score:2)
I think he is more like Jeremy Piven's character in The Goods.
Of course, I am one of about 20 or so people who actually bothered to see that movie, so the comparison is likely lost on most. So we might as well instead compare him to a character in a well-known movie that nobody watched, instead o
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TSA free-pass (Score:2)
How about buying some TSA patdown free-pass with some of is miles?
It would be very cool if you could avoid some sexual harassment with your hard-earned miles no?
what kind of car salesman? (Score:2)
The ones I know of are sitting in dealerships waiting for suckers, er, customers to walk into the showroom.
How to ruin this man's life... (Score:2)
They should promote him (Score:2)
They should promote him to an Honorable Member of mile-high club.
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At this point, I'm sure he is already a regular member and does not need to be honorifically admitted.
Celibate pimp (Score:2)
how many times did they lose the luggage? (Score:2)
I'll have a whisky and lemonade please... (Score:2)
A CAR salesman??? (Score:2)
Let's not forget this Merchant of Death has blood on his hands.
While he was racking up millions of miles in his aluminum skinned ivory tower, this DEALER was peddling steel coffins to the poor and unfortunate souls who braved the gauntlet of traffic EVERY DAY to get where they need to go.
MILLIONS have died while he coursed through the skies in near-perfect safety.
While he may fancy himself a god, pulling his chariot through the sky, he may find himself an Icarus treading too close to the sun.
Repent your sin
Zero. (Score:2)
0. The plane would fly regardless of whether this one single guy bought a ticket or not.
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No, a Spitfire.
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Messerschmitt.
Re:Plane named after him (Score:4, Funny)
Amazingly enough, his real name is Airbus A320.
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Perhaps he's developed a mutant super power? That would explain all the flying. He's probably fighting crime all over the world. He'll have to air commute until he mutates himself some flying powers.
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That was my first thought, too. However, the extra radiation, while significantly higher than normal, doesn't seem all that high; when he flys, he's probably getting just an extra ~3 day's worth of his normal radiation exposure.
(Assuming exposure can be fudged like this: from xkcd [xkcd.com], a flight from New York to Los Angeles gives you maybe an extra 4 day's worth of your normal daily radiation exposure. Distance from NY to LA is ~ 2462miles. 1e6miles/6000 flights => ~1667miles/flight. 1667/2462 => ~0.6
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Everyone except my cousin, Flyte Downes.
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It could be worse. He could be a part-time lawyer or politician too.
Re:What level? (Score:4, Funny)
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