Jul 21, 2021
In 1987, Steve Rothstein bought a golden ticket from American Airlines — granting him a lifetime of unlimited travel. He flew more than 10 million miles and 10,000 flights. He used his power to fly hopeless strangers home, a friend to the Louvre, and a priest to Rome to meet the pope. He approached random people at the airport and offered them his companion pass (which he paid $150,000 for). He booked flights under fake names if he didn’t know who his companion would be. In 2008, the airline accused him of fraud and terminated his lifetime pass. [1, 2, 3]