We all love that first class treatment, but when it comes to flying, it's a luxury travel most of us can only dream of. While some sit in first class, coiffing their champagne, the rest of us are sat back in cattle class between the screaming kids and noisy eaters.
The idea of having a lifetime first class ticket for just a fraction for what it would cost to take those flights separately might sound like it's too good to be true, and that's because it is. This is the story of Steven Rothstein, the man who had his supposedly 'lifetime' first class ticket revoked by American Airlines.
With American Airlines looking for a new revenue stream, it introduced the AAirpass back in 1981. The idea was that passengers could pay $250,000 (no small sum), but in return, they'd get unlimited first class travel for either five years or a lifetime.
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The idea wasn't exactly successful, and with only 66 people buying the original AAirpass, it was hardly the money-spinner American Airlines was hoping it would be.
Rothstein is the most famous of the AAirpass 66, mainly because the Chicago financier later upgraded his membership to the lifetime option in 1987 and then added the $150,000 'companion pass' (allowing for a second passenger) two years later.
While Rothstein enjoyed many years of circling the globe on planes - and apparently became great friends with the crew - his dreams were grounded in 2007. During a time of financial instability, American Airlines assigned a 'revenue integrity unit' to look at the AAirpass and potential abusers of the system.
It was here that the airline determines Rothstein and another passenger called Jacques Vroom were costing it $1 million per year.
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With Rothstein unaware that his life of luxury was hitting American Airlines in the wallet, he was shocked to learn his AAirpass was being terminated. On December 13, 2008, Rothstein was reportedly stranded at Chicago O'Hare International Airport when he was handed a letter informing him that American Airlines was terminating his pass due to 'fraudulent behavior.'
Rothstein wasn't going to take this lying down, and denying that he'd try to cheat the system, he tried to sue American Airlines in 2011. Although the judge sided with the airline and denied Rothstein's appeal, things were reportedly settled out of court in 2012.
It sounds like the man himself knew he was onto a good thing, telling Forbes in 2019, "They told me that they viewed the AAirpass like a bond, so it was as if I was lending the airline money, and they needed money. So they gave me a very good deal."
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There might've been more to the story, as Rothstein admitted that he often gave miles away to those with 'a good story': "I gave a man in Seattle a ticket to go to his father’s funeral. I gave many people tickets to visit ill family members. I don’t view that as philanthropy, I view that as good deeds."
He unsurprisingly stopped flying with American Airlines following the AAirpass scandal, instead choosing United Airlines his preferred carrier.