27 June 2023 , 21:57
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A New Jersey man has officially flown more miles than the Apollo 11 moon trip, and he is sharing his hacks with other flyers.
Tom Stuker has travelled over 23 million miles in the last 33 years. In 1990, he purchased a lifetime pass from United Airlines for $290,000, which he called the “best investment of my life."
Stuker, 69, has flown more than 23m miles (37m km) – Apollo 11, which carried Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts to the moon, clocked a mere 953,000 miles (1.5m km) – and visited more than 100 countries.
To top that, as a frequent flyer, he also racked up tons of miles and points.
Tom Stuker has saved himself millions by purchasing a lifetime pass in 1990 - and he's traveled more than an astronaut since (Getty Images North America)In 2009 Stuker passed the 5m mile (8m km) mark and passed the 10m mile mark in 2019, according to Simple Flying. In July of that year, Tom Stuker took United Airlines Flight 942 from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to become the first United Airlines passenger to have ever clocked up ten million miles.
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His flights have left him so well-known in the company that Stuker got his own party thrown by the airline company, both on the air and in the airport.
He was the first United Airlines customer to do so, and the points have opened all kinds of doors.
“Stuker has lived like a sultan on United miles ever since – lavish hotel suites all over the world, weeks-long Crystal cruises, gourmet meals from Perth to Paris,” the Washington Post reports.
He has used the miles to “redo his brother’s house," according to previous interviews, and “once cashed $50,000 worth of Walmart gift cards in a single day."
Stuker also won a charity auction to appear in a "Seinfeld" episode by bidding 451,000 air miles. He appeared in the episode where George’s fiancée dies from licking envelopes, showing up in the diner.
Stuker has been to over 100 countries, taken his wife on 120 honeymoons, and gotten enough miles to stay at the best hotels and resorts (Getty Images North America)The car dealership consultant has used the pass to travel all over the world for his business, even going to Australia over 300 times. Stuker also said he got to take his wife on over 120 honeymoons.
Stuker’s mileage in 2019 alone “covered more than six trips to the moon," the Washington Post reported. That year Stuker took 373 flights, covering 1.46m miles. Had he paid cash for the flights, it would have cost $2.44m.
And he still happens to be United Airlines favorite customers - to be fair, after all the years of travel, it's kind of no surprise that he gets the ultimate treatment.
A reporter once took a trip with Stuker and saw for himself and wrote, "when he calls the 800 number, they go: 'Mr. Stuker? Is that you?' Ropes come down, doors fly open and free champagne bottles end up in his bag."
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