[Cecil Terwilliger]

I don't know how much actual discussion this thread will generate but this story was too interesting to not post.

There are frequent fliers, and then there are people like Steven Rothstein and Jacques Vroom.

Both men boughttickets that gave them unlimited first-class travel for life on American Airlines.It was almost like owning a fleet of private jets.

Each had paid American more than $350,000 for an unlimited AAirpass and a companion ticket that allowed them to take someone along on their adventures. Both agree it was the best purchase they ever made, one that completely redefined their lives.

In the 2009 film "Up in the Air,"the loyal American business traveler played by George Clooney was showered with attention after attaining 10 million frequent flier miles.

Rothstein and Vroom were not impressed.

"I can't even remember when I cracked 10 million," said Vroom, 67, a big, amiable Texan, who at last count had logged nearly four times as many. Rothstein, 61,has notched more than 30 million miles.

Heavy users, including Vroom and Rothstein, were costing it millions of dollars in revenue, the airline concluded.

Mike Joyce of Chicago bought his in 1994 after winning a $4.25-million settlement after a car accident.

In one 25-day span this year, Joyce flew round trip to London 16 times, flights that would retail for more than $125,000. He didn't pay a dime.

In September 2007, a pricing analyst reviewing international routes focused the airline's attention on how much the AAirpass program was costing, company emails show.

Cade was assigned to find out whether any AAirpass holders were violating the rules, starting with those who flew the most.

She pulled years of flight records for Rothstein and Vroom and calculated that each was costing American more than $1 million a year.

There was nothing in the AAirpass terms prohibiting that. But Cade considered the habit striking in light of something else she found. Rothstein made 3,009 reservations in less than four years, almost always booking two seats, but canceled 2,523 of them.

On Dec. 13, 2008, Rothstein and a companion checked in at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for a transatlantic flight. An American employee handed him a letter, which said his AAirpass had been terminated for "fraudulent behavior."

Vroom landed at Heathrow that morning. As he boardedAmerican Flight 50 from Dallas/Fort Worth to London the evening before, security officers took note of the clothes he was wearing, down to the Crocs on his feet.

Inside Heathrow, Vroom headed for the VIP lounge, where an American employee handed him a letter and said he could never again fly on the airline.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...073,full.story

I cut out some of the stuff on exactly why they had their passes revoked but basically they broke no rules and AA pulled the plug just to be rid of them. I should clarify, AA claimed they broke rules but if I read the article correctly none of what they did was against the rules until AA decided to change the rules and retroactively punish them for it.

What an absolutely insanely awesome thing to have. Could you imagine coming home from work on the Friday of a long weekend and deciding to head to ______ for the next 3 or 4 days and not have to worry about flights at all? I'd be constantly flying to NHL cities just for the night to watch Flames games. That'd just be the tip of the iceberg though.