Man who had lifetime first-class ticket revoked after costing airline $21,000,000 had to follow one rule
- Flyer bought a lifetime first-class ticket for American Airlines
- It set him back $250K in 1987
- However, it was allegedly revoked for one reason
Published on Nov 27, 2024 at 5:42 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Nov 28, 2024 at 4:28 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
High flying became a way of life for Steven Rothstein when he bought a lifetime first-class ticket AAirpass from American Airlines in 1987 before it was controversially revoked.
It set him back just $250,000 at the time – just under $700,000 today.
He was entitled to unlimited first-class flights.
However, there was one golden rule that seemed simple enough but he ultimately fell foul of – here’s what happened that led to the pass being revoked.
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The lifetime first-class ticket
As well as allowing unlimited first-class travel alongside 66 other wealthy flyers, Rothstein also added a companion pass for an additional $150,000.
Over the two decades that followed, Rothstein booked thousands of flights.
So many, in fact, that it’s estimated to have cost the airline over $21 million.
There was said to have only been given one simple and straightforward rule: not to lend it to anybody else.
“When I bought the AAirpass, in no uncertain terms, they told me that there was only one rule: I couldn’t give anybody the AAirpass,” he previously told The Guardian.
“And those were the days before they took identification from passengers.”
Rothstein claims that despite a colleague offering $5,000 a week to use it – he turned them down.
So where did it all go wrong?
After revoking the pass in 2008, American Airlines claimed Rothstein had been ‘fraudulent’ in the way he used the pass.
He was accused of violating the pass rules by making speculative bookings and reserving seats under fictitious names including ‘Bag Rothstein’ and ‘Steven Rothstein Jr’.
Rothstein countersued in 2009, seeking $7 million in damages.
However, both parties ultimately settled out of court, with Rothstein claiming that he regrets buying it.
American Airlines told the Guardian that while they ‘continue to provide AirPass benefits to eligible cardholders’, they are ‘enjoyed in conjunction with the appropriate program conditions’.
A man who bought an unlimited flight pass in 1990 racked up an unbelievable amount of air miles.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
