Man who's saved $2,370,000 after buying lifetime United Airlines pass once flew for 12 days straight
Published on Nov 13, 2025 at 4:48 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Nov 13, 2025 at 4:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Many of us have probably been frugal with our money at some point, but one man who flew United Airlines took it to a new level.
Tom Stucker has saved over $2 million, having bought a lifetime pass with United in 1990, something which now looks like an incredible investment.
As of 2024, he was the world’s most frequent flyer, and United Airlines was the one he was the most loyal to.
In fact, such was his love of flying that he was once in the air for almost two weeks straight.
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How Stucker saved money with his United Airlines pass
Stucker had been flying regularly since the 1980s and even had a TV show on Spike TV called Car Lot Rescue.
Stucker was also the inspiration for the movie Up In The Air.
But in 1990, he bought a lifetime pass with United Airlines.
At the time, it cost him $290,000 for the pass, which roughly equates to around $675,000 in today’s money.
As of today, Stucker has called it the best investment he has ever made.
While the passes are no longer offered, they are still valid to those who have bought one.
The investment paid off quickly, with Stucker flying 373 times with United in 2019 alone.
That is around 1.46 million miles across the year.
Stucker saved lots of money with his pass
Unsurprisingly, Stucker was able to save an awful lot of money with his pass.
In fact, the American saved $2.37 million thanks to his 1990s investment.
His mileage reached a peak in July 2011, when he became United’s first passenger to clock up 10 million miles.
It took 19 years for him to clock up the first five million, and another 10 years to add the next five million.
In 2018, he went further and has now traveled more than 24 million miles, mostly with United.
Tucker once traveled 12 days straight without sleeping in a bed.
This took him from Newark to San Francisco, to Bangkok, and to Dubai, doing this multiple times.
That investment he made over 30 years ago has paid off in spades.
Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
