He paid 500k in 1990 for unlimited flights. See how many miles he's accrued
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Tom Stuker bought a lifetime pass from United Airlines for $250,0000 back in 1990. Now he has accrued over 23 million miles flying around the world with a companion pass. #CNN #News
What a great buy. It’s like owning a plane without having to pay for the upkeep, pilot and taxes.
Looking at it from the other side, however, if he let that $500k sit in a fund matching the S&P 500 index, it would be worth over $11.5 million today. I'd have to really sit down and determine if I was actually getting a good deal here. Even with all of that traveling, I'm not sure it is. And what if he died 5 years after buying this?
He got a lifetime of experiences and travel out of it for the cost of a small general aviation plane. That’s always worth it, and I’m sure he’d say the same.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403some time it’s about the experiences if he had that amount to splurge on a air pass ..then dude has been seeing money from the onset
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403You and I think alike. The very first thing I did was check portfolio visualizer to see what throwing that 500k into an Index Fund in 1990 would be worth today, and you’re right it’s about $11 million.
@@afridgetoofar1818 but all this time he has been having fun. not waiting around for money to grow. and if he had that kind of money back then.. i'm sure he has some money in the bank. i wouldn't mind living his life with 3 million put away.
Anyone who had $500k to splurge in the 90's must have had some serious $$$!
Exactly. Cuban did the same, famously so.
I think he made payemnts
No shit
. com bubble. He sold and did not hodl. Good for him
@@DC45193 no payments
He paid them 500k and United got a lifetime spokesperson in return.
Never heard anyone talk more about "being a family in this company" than this man
@@erikhjortsater5461 I don't think family would charge you 500k to fly with them 🤣
@@jeroenvdw how much would it cost to fly 23mil mi?
it is 50 mil now dude
@@CameronLasmorethe planes are taking off one way or another. He doesn’t go, they’re still leaving. Stop being jealous
The most amazing part is United Airlines still exists and is around to honor that type of detail.
Yeah they even took on continental
American also had such passes for a while and I believe it still works. First class is better for it is usually not filled.
@@WhyDoTroonsHaveTheSameVoices Thats right. Although USAir was merged with American so American would have probably had to honor it. American sold these passes as well.
Hold my beer.
Well...not honouring it would mean they'd be looking at a lawsuit.
That's $1.3m in today's money.
Wow, crazy!
That's not calculating the time value had you bought RE or the S and P. Probably lsot his shirt.
And then he costed the airlines a lot more😂for his $1.3m .
At least $6-8 million could be $10m in today's money.
So he was already rich anyway
And he 100% made use of every single dollar and more
I’m happy for him, he got to have a life full of adventure. One of the rare examples where a consumer got to totally get one up on an airline company.
Stuck in a plane passing security going to the airport etc, that represents at least 10 hours of his life every time. Go and return 20 hours wasted
@@electro1463not so long. Especially if he isn’t even packing anything because he is only going somewhere for a few hours or a day. TSA precheck or clear cut some time too. And the drive to the airport… mmm we can complain about general traffic.
Did he get one up on them though? If he let that money sit in the S&P 500, it would be worth over 11 1/2 million today! I guess if you've flown 23 million miles like he's done (which is hard to believe, honestly), then it's worth it. But you really, REALLY have to do a lot of flying to make it worth it. Then again, they said he gets the miles as well, do he's not paying for his hotel stay either and he gets to take his wife. But $11.5 million??? You'd have to really sit down and figure out if it's worth it.
510 grand to blow in 1990. He’s just a fat rich guy
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 money isn’t everything. I rather go to all the places he did than have the money.
On top of the unlimited flights, they also gave him the opportunity to earn miles! Gift that keeps giving!
Don't get smart
@@annefranksbigmacshut up
@@DD56TRAIN roll up Boi
Yep, and I'm sure United regrets that aspect because he can earn what he paid for it back in gift cards eventually!
@@annefranksbigmac bro stated what was said in the video. You're not build like a halo chararcter, dont think youre badass by saying that 💀
This guy has an incredible zest for life. He seems like the perfect person to have a lifetime fly pass.
@traybernbut fucking awesome too
and all the lives he has helped DESTROY means that he gets all the zest for himself
#StopClimateArmageddon #IsYourFlightReallyNecessary #BanPrivateAviation
Zest🤔🤔🤔
@@aquaboymanhe meant “zesty”?
Ah yes, the perfect person, a man who was already rich
These two left their caps lock on during the entire interview
😂😂😂😂😂
Old people...
😭
It was like watching two Billy Mays. HI BILLY MAYS HERE.
Understated comment 🤣🤣🤣
That package paid for itself many times over. Smart guy. Well done. Keep enjoying the sweet life up in the sky and all the additional perks.
Great deal for United as well. This guy brings in huge PR numbers.
this is absolutely the man I would want to have an unlimited pass. extremely kind to all staff, loyal to the brand (obviously,, lol), and is a proponent of being a kind human. good for him!
Absolutely. I love the fact that he mentioned about being nice to the staff and they'll be nice to you. I truly believe that and it irks me that people don't realize that yelling and demanding something will NOT make the staff wanna help you. Be nice and they will be accommodating
Lol he basically invested in the company
Why can’t you be nice to all staff now lol
@@DwayneIsKingAs a former employee, the yelling got them nowhere. The nice people got much more out of the airline. The customer is always right does not count with the airlines my friends. Be nice, it will get you further than yelling and being rude in life.
Kind human? Is he kind to the environment and climate?
What a life this man has lived, good for him!!!
So what is he *doing* for *living* and how *much* flights has he already made?
@@neilwest9321 He had first class, also the fact that the miles gave him hotel benefits, and could go to a country for lunch, and fly back.
Great guy
@@neilwest9321your stupidity amuses me
I want to just go to Hawaii and be left there and live there for the rest of my life. Just relaxing by the aqua blue waters while listening to lovely Hawaiian music and having coconut drinks
United love him to bits because he’s one of the few that saved the company. Good for him.
I wonder how many people made this deal.
I don't know about them saving the company. Even in the 90s, United was worth billions and profits of +200 million a year. According to a Texas Monthly article, 66 lifetime passes were sold. At 250k a pop, that's $16.5 million, which is less than 8% of their yearly revenue during that period.
@@mrb2349 66 people according to a Texas Monthly article. Couple notable people are Michael Dell (founder/owner/CEO of Dell computers), Mark Cuban and Willie Mays. The Willie Mays one surprised me since he had to have been in his mid to late 60s when he bought it.
😂😂. He loves deal.
@@mugshotmarley Adjusted for inflation, $250,000 in 1990 is equal to $608,140 in 2024
so $608,000 x 66 = $40,128,000🤔 in 2024🤨 if I did the math right😏
Annual inflation over this period was 2.65%.😁
This entire story makes me happy. Good for him and good for united for taking such great care of him.
@CameronLasmore what carbon footprint did this man specifically cause? He's not flying private. He flies on pre scheduled flights that would've taken off anyway. So you're wrong. Don't be so bitter
@@CameronLasmoreI don’t think that his 150lb body on a plane makes any difference on how much it pollutes.
500k in 1990 was a hell of a lot of money, heck its a hell of alot now
Not really.
Joe biden and the insane liberals love rampant inflation.
And wide open borders...
Around $1.4 million at current values. On the other hand running a small private jet with trans-oceanic capabilities would cost well over $3 million a year for his level of travel - which would amount to well over $100 million to date. So you sacrifice a little convenience and save a shitload of cash.
it was 290 k that he paid - just a very lazy half arsed title
he paid in instalments
It later rose to 510 k when he later obtained a companion pass.
@@richardbrennan7288thanks for additional information.
Fake news he paid half of that it’s in the description
Wow! He had $500,000 to spare in 1990 and got a good deal. I'm happy he was able to enjoy his purchase
500k back in 1990 is not that much. You can’t even buy a mansion with that! Maybe a decent 7000sq ft house or a couple of Ferrari.
@@mracer8Are you crazy? $500,000 in 1990 is the equivalent of $1.2 million today. That’s a lot of money to spend on a flying pass.
@@mracer8You are clueless because you were not born yet.😂
@@xcre8ionx and you are not wealthy, sorry for you!
@@afridgetoofar1818 flying pass for life and a friend along with it first class! have you check how much a first class ticket cost and how many flight can you you rack up before that 1.2 million is gone?
I'm so happy for him. A life well-lived. He seems so appreciative for the good things he has.
And the way he talks about the United family, it’s just great! What a wonderful man, full of life!
He is better than ANY advertisement they could put out. Real recognizes real, and he is the REAL deal.
I love how complimentary he is with United and the staff. What a joy this man is. Has anyone down a documentary on him?
His carbon footprint is horrible and he is carelessly fucking up the earth with all that plane travel
@@CameronLasmore the plane was going whether he's on it or not
He’s such a kind and humble man. How people treat him is a reflection of how he treats people. Really happy for him and united
went to Hong Kong for a meal and you call him humble?
@@arabiantiger yes. cope brokie
This guy seems like a genuinely good person. I wish everyone who traveled was like him. There are way too many Karens flying now and I've had to sit near a few on flights.
Right!, and most of those Karens are not even in first class
karens?
@@alexalex-uq4cm Google it.
@@lazynow1 most of the time I'm back in the cheap seats with the crying babies and fat people. Once in a while I'll break bad and travel first class and I'm not paying that extra money to be hounded by a Karen.
@@alexalex-uq4cm do you not know what a Karen is??
That is badass, 33 years later and just wow, alot of perks. This was a wise choice for an investment.
Certainly was, but also exceedingly lucky that United never went broke!
Almost as good as the crypto stuff... LOL🤣🤣🤣
@@everydaytenor8862. Does the 11 million adjust for losses, .
He probably didn't abuse it too much like other customers, cause he seems still good terms with united unlike other customers with the same pass.
@@shellecapos8574 yes lol, the s&p fund tracks top 500 largest stocks whether they go down or up. believe it or not, stocks are worth more now than back then.
I bought a 24 hr fitness pass back in 2006. The deal was pay $600 for 3 years, and then after that you only pay $30 a year for life. I've been only paying $30 to go to the gym a year, now.
Wow
Worked out well. Lots of others have worse luck when the gym supposedly goes out of business just to re-open with a new name at the same location
Good deal
Oh yah? Well I lay on the couch and pretend I’m working out and it cost me nothing..…freezo….and I’m helping save the planet by not driving to a gym..
@@BarneeFife Not funny. Sad, lazy comment.
This makes me think of the lifetime software licenses I paid for only for the company to turn its back me and other customers. Fair play to United for continuing to honour their purchases even if they have no choice…
Which software companies gave lifetime licenses?
@@goodnightmoon4703 Most professionnal softwares you need in businesses like lawyers, architect, engineer, dev, 3D artist and the list goes on. A lot of softwares we use daily are from little companies (10 to 200 people) and most of the time the licence cost is between 300 to 4 000, with perpetual licence. You can still purchase annual licence with support but it will cost you way more after a couple of years.
@@goodnightmoon4703 Mailbird is what I can recall atm.
Also this guy is such a great ambassador for United.
he quite literally seems like a joy to be around and what a dream to be able to travel like that!
A genius move by a guy who loves to travel, and has the time, because he realized the points and other benefits of accumulating all those miles over the decades.
in my experience the flight ticket is just half the trip. He still has to pay for hotels, meals, transportation wherever he goes. I'm not sure if it's a good investment, but he needs money for that, it's not free travel
He is brilliant!
@@alexalex-uq4cmdid you not listen to the interview? He accumulated point that everything comes out to almost nothing.
He's a walking spokesperson for United. And he does seem to have a great personality. They took a situation where they potentially lose money on every flight he takes and turns it into novelty PR stint. Besides, those free flights are usually just vacant seats for United. They turned what would've been a relatively insignificant operating loss into advertising for United.
so trueee
Why is this guy unusually good in front of the camera his energy is like a seasoned pundit!
what a joyous person and what a wonderful interviewer. God bless both
Man I’d just sleep on the plane and wake up every day somewhere new.
Sounds like a pretty lonely, pointless existence.
@@LibtardsareFuntotalkto It'd be the shiznit for awhile first....
@@LibtardsareFuntotalktoyou know this comment wasn’t meant to be taken so literally… 🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻
@@LibtardsareFuntotalktohow if you're getting to visit places that others would only be able to visit once every 5/10 years
Me too , that is what I would do for the rest of my life .
Thanks for having him, great interview. About time to see something that makes you smile. 😀
I'm surprised that he also got airmiles every time he flew. That's almost too good to be true. Imagine booking a first class flight to Singapore for free and then paying for a couple of nights at a hotel with the airmiles you earned from your free flight. Surely that can't be right 😅
He could even redeem gift cards with air miles and sell them online for easy $$$, so in effect get paid to fly.
@@Lockieez That is right and don´t call me shirley.
@@madhavyu😂 Never gets old
They didn’t do diligence
That was the most astonishing part of the whole thing! You're exactly right! Imagine the people at the time that must have thought he was crazy!
He truly deserves it. He’s made the most of it and has so much passion for United.
That’s funny about a flight attendant recognizing you. It happened to me once. I was traveling quite a bit in 1989. I was going everywhere. Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C. I always flew on American. I was good friends with a gate agent, and occasionally he could bring up my reservation and upgrade me to 1st class. When I was flying to California, the first class attendant recognized me from a flight I took to North Carolina. We had a great time, she was very friendly and said “maybe we’ll run into each other again some time”. I said, you never know. In the fall I went to D.C. to visit a friend who had just gotten a job with the commerce department. As I boarded my return flight, I noticed very few passengers in first. A man and a woman, and me. As I got settled in, the first class attendant came by to see if I’d like a pre flight cocktail. It was my friend from 2 earlier flights, she started laughing and told me it was so good to see me. She remembered my drink and came back with it quickly. She was working the left side of the cabin, and her co flight attendant, a handsome young man had just me to take care of. As we were approaching O’hare, he came by my seat with an American Airlines plastic bag. It was full of the tiny bottles of my brand of vodka, plus others. He said it was a gift from both the attendants since they’d have to dispose of the other liquor that wasn’t consumed on the plane. I stuck it in my carryon, thanking them both so much. I’ve had other entertaining flights, but the flights with my favorite flight attendant were the best.
Thanks for sharing that mate
United sold these passes because they had a cash crunch in 1990. Of course they don’t do that anymore. When that happens now, our politicians just say that the airlines are crucial businesses and they get a taxpayer funded bailout.
Too big to fail is literally anti-capitalism. Large company should be sold off to the people or fail if unwanted when the large companies can’t support themselves and the people refuse to buy from them as is. That’s capitalism. Power in the hands of the little people, not big business or governments.
A great brand ambassador for United. I'd say everyone wins. Let's admire happy positive people and pay it forward. Thanks Tom!
ok mr. gullible, what ever you say
I like how the reporter tried to get a free flight. 😂. But the guy was booked. Love this story ❤
*2:58** - This man is HILARIOUS!!!* 💪💪
He seems like a very humble and a nice guy don’t know him happy he is happy ❤️
I would ask him "At what point did you feel you had gotten your money's worth and the rest is just a free pass?" I'm thinking it took quite a few years to get to the tipping point but I'd love to know. I wonder if he kept a complete log.
@@everydaytenor8862 thanks!
@@everydaytenor8862 uh average cost in first class is NOT $1100.
@@everydaytenor8862 Your comment doesn't make any sense. Breaking even doesn't relate to the comparison of other things you could have done with the money lol. What you're talking about is opportunity cost., aka the thing you're giving up in exchange for the original purchase. Breaking even is the comparison between the profits and costs, aka how long it took to arrive at the investment cost.
Had he invested in the right stock then pulled out and then invested in the internet, he would own a few planes.
Less than 50 trips. Usually International first class tickets out of pocket can easily touch 10-20k Per seat. Yes that much.
I absolutely love this man's energy!!!
like most, you're easily influenced
@@CleoKawisha-sy5xtEnvious a little perhaps?🤷♂️
This was obviously a good investment for United. A well-spoken, amiable and approachable fan can only do good for their image.
This guy's carbon emissions could be million times more than mine even if I live 1000 years.
That guy has great energy. I'd love to listen to him talk about everything.
Respect to United for continuing to honor his pass. Pretty awesome.
Wow! That’s literally the next best thing to exclusively flying private - in many respects you can argue it’s just superior, full stop.
You can do 500k or first class flying in one year so to be going 30 years strong is extraordinary!
Thank you for keeping us in a job at a difficult time. Happy seeing you fly.
Thank you for what you do! You have a difficult job and you all do it so well!
Bill Murray seems like the most chilled actor around
What a great guy 😊
"There are great things in every airport..." sometimes people's Joie de vivre just has to make you smile.
CNN with a great human interest story....well done. We need these kind of stories.....how about a "Good News" channel? No politics, no adversity, just good news....thanks.
those jack boots ain't gonna lick themselves, am i right?
For every good "rescued from the well" story, we need a little girl to fall down a well. It's rare, politics is always happening.
Yeah let's cover our eyes and stick our fingers in our ears
I just love this man. He is so much fun!
What a lovely person. Pure optimist.🌺✈️
its a great buy and also helped the company through tough times, no wonder they put his name on planes
This guy figured it all out. Legend
Legend is way overused.
Him and Mark Cuban scored big! Shout out to this man for being so cool about it.
This is the ultimate jackpot! Bless you Tom!
I would’ve gotten delta if they offered such a pass
Love this guy. He obviously understands the laws of abundance. God bless him!
Lol dude was on Seinfeld. Legend
Singapore International Airport is definitely the nicest in the world!!! I've traveled to over 50 countries and major airports and Singapore was definitely the nicest and cleanest.
Yes once you go there nothing is as good. I hope to go back there one day. Squat toilets had me laughing as a kid.
What an excellent interview. Tom is a great kinda-spokesperson for the airline the way he talks about them.
You get on one flight and pray you'll make it, meanwhile this guy's on all the other flights just chilling.
You ain’t never lied 😂
With so many flights under the belt it's nice to have the number of landings matching the number of take-offs...
😂😂😂 So true...
This guy has such a great attitude. IF I had airline, I would let him fly for free too.
Is good to have money - it makes life a lot more interesting. Good for him .
Wow. Respect to Bill Murray. Such a nice gesture to call his brother like that and leave a 2min voicemail. What a humble guy ✊
reminds me of the year i had a tram subscription
Nice to hear some happy news for a change.. ☺
What a really nice guy... wow...
Lol that’s awesome - Good for him - great foresight. I wanna know how could he afford to buy it at such a young age? Did he take a loan; what was his family reaction to the original purchase? Regardless of wealth - it’s still a big purchase.
In a other interview he told he had a company there did a lot of business in Japan so he got a loan in the bank for it
@@Tola5657 ty
@@Tola5657 thanks. Lol that’s brilliant - like buying a mortgage but once it’s paid off - you own it. Very cool concept.
He is in sales. I’m sure he made a good living
@@emilyfeagin2673 true enough - I think we’re all in sales ~ 👀
Amazing. He must of seen all corners of the world.
This guy 100% negotiated some sort of a deal, he's an obvious spokesperson at this point. I understand being grateful, this is way way way beyond grateful. When a guy says he prefers United hubs to say Singapore airport, I know you're just blowing smoke.
Amazing. This makes me like United more. And they are doing good things with great leadership right now.
This put a smile on my face. Great story that inpires you to live life.
What a sweet story, shows people's adaptability. He initially reminded me of Bill Murray.
Somehow his lifetime pass survived United Airlines' bankruptcy in 2002?
Thanks for sharing this story❤
Wow!! That’s incredible! How wonderful to be able to fly anywhere at anytime! (Especially first class…) I love that he has taken his wife on “100 honeymoons”. ❤😊
I like news like this, a break from bad news
What a great guy and a great outlook on life. 🥂
The one question that everyone wants to know and didn’t ask ? How did you pay for it ? Was it cash ? Did they offer a payment plan ? Did you get a loan ? That’s the one and only question I would’ve asked
Why...
Cash
It had to be cash... An offer like this was an investment. They must have been in a pretty bad situation to provide this. He deserves good!🙂
Experiences are worth far more than material. love this guy
Now THIS is news! Great job CNN!
surprised they never tried to revoke it
o im jus soooo f'ing surprized they never tried to revoke it n even compensate him a lil for revoking it on him... good thing they didnt .
Because it’s not an incentive, rewards or points…it was a final purchase.
question: what happens/would have happened to that lifetime pass if United went bust?
If you have a life time pass to fly on united but there no plane flying prety sure you can't use it 😉
you'd become an unsecured creditor in the bankruptcy liquidation, meaning you get zero as there won't be enough for even the secured credit holders (banks who have loans)
Basically the greatest investment ever.
United shareholders gonna throw a party the day this guy kicks it.
The way the news anchor kept cutting him off and rushing him.
Well that’s what’s their job getting straight to the point
Should have asked about next year's schedule!
What a cool story. And awesome they haven't rescinded this from him. I mean I guess, despite the perks he's had, ultimately it's cost the airline basically nothing to keep doing this for him in the long run.
I'm honestly surprised united airlines offered that... it's one of the best airlines.. this dude changed his life for 500 k.. amazing
Yeah, the United Airlines this guy flies and the United Airlines I fly are completely different.
The best airport is anything but those in the US lol. American airports are trash compared to international ones that are kept clean and renovated.
I would be interested to know if he ever had any scary moments on a flight. Any near miss, or other potential problems like a crazy passenger or something like that.
I’m on a plane on average 4 times a week for the last 22 years. The worst I’ve had was the one sided wheel landing- which is normal and not dangerous but sure gives you a jolt when the second wheel finally hits the tarmac. They happen about 10% of landings in my statistic book.
I had experienced or seen tyre puncture on landing, a female captain retiring (last flight), celebrated a New Year twice (crossing time zones around midnight), strangers met on planes and started hooking up, wing damaged by ground vehicle, and a pretty bad turbulence once (things hit ceiling and people fell down). Other than these, flights are pretty uneventful and forgettable, exactly what I wish for.
@@allytrudie864wow what kind of job does one need to fly 4 times a week?
Legend. Only way to describe him. A freaking legend.
Why is the interviewer smiling creepily 😂
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He foresaw the future. Good foresight