Travelmole thought it was only in the movies that people were rewarded for spending their whole lives on a plane (wasn’t George Clooney great in Up In The Air?).
But it seems that real life is reflecting art with the news that Tom Stuker from Bloomingdale, Illinois, has just completed 10 million miles at 40,000 feet and will be honoured with his name being painted on the side of a Boeing 747 jet.
The car sales consultant became the first United Airlines frequent flyer to score the ten mil over the weekend when he was flying somewhere between Los Angeles and Chicago.
Champagne was popped during the flight, and when he landed at O’Hare, United Chief Executive Officer Jeff Smisek and other executives welcomed him with the first titanium Mileage Plus membership card, MSNBC reported
Since joining United’s Mileage Plus program in 1982, Stuker has flown 5,962 flights, including travels to all 50 US states, 200 round trips to Australia and nearly 30 round trips to Asia, the airlines says.
In a rare display of dedication to air travel, he has spent five consecutive days in the air on three occasions, living on airplane meals. Â
“I love the solace and peacefulness at 40,000 feet,” he said. “That’s where I do my best creative work writing my training materials.â€
By David Wilkening and Dinah Hatch
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