A man who was living the dream with a £190,000 lifelong, first-class plane ticket ended up having it snatched away from him after reportedly wracking up millions.
Steven Rothstein, a stockbroker from the US, was able to travel first class every time he flew after purchasing an AAirpass with American Airlines back in 1987, when he was aged 37, for $250,000 (£190,000).
He also paid another $150,000 (£115,000) for a companion pass which would allow him to travel with a guest, too.
Rothstein purchased an AAirpass with American Airlines back in 1987 (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
For over two decades, Rothstein enjoyed his golden ticket, flying multiple times a month.
By 2008, he had travelled 30 million miles on 10,000 flights, reportedly costing the airline over $21m (£16m).
According to the Los Angeles Times, in July 2004, Rothstein flew 18 times to destinations including Nova Scotia, New York, Miami, London, Los Angeles, Maine, Denver and Fort Lauderdale.
But in 2008, it all came to an end when he was stripped of the pass, with American Airlines going on to sue him.
Rothstein said he had only been given one rule when he bought the ticket 20 years prior – he couldn’t let anybody else use the pass.
He told the Guardian: “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.
“And those were the days before they took identification from passengers.”
Rothstein said he stuck to the rule, even when a colleague offered him $5,000 a week to use the pass.
So why did Rothstein’s ticket get revoked?
Rothstein’s ticket was revoked (Caroline Rothstein)
Well, the airline claimed that the stockbroker had made ‘speculative bookings’ for non-existent passengers under names including ‘Bag Rothstein’ and ‘Steven Rothstein Jr’.
The AAirpass explained
The pass was launched in 1981, beginning as a membership-based discount programme for frequent flyers of the airline.
It initially allowed those lucky enough to get their hands on one unlimited first-class travel on any of the airline’s flights across the globe.
“We thought originally it would be something that firms would buy for top employees,” Bob Crandall, American Airline’s chairman and chief executive between 1985 and 1998, told the Los Angeles Times.
“It soon became apparent that the public was smarter than we were.”
This version of the pass is no longer available.
After his pass was revoked, Rothstein also took legal action, going on to sue the airline, accusing it of breaking its deal when it revoked the lifelong pass.
Rothstein and American Airlines eventually settled the issue out of court.
It wasn’t just Rothstein who was investigated by American Airlines.
Rothstein was one of a number of AAirpass holders whose tickets were revoked for fraudulent activity, with Jacques E. Vroom Jr. also having his taken away.
American Airlines told the Guardian: “We are pleased to continue to provide AirPass benefits to eligible cardholders when enjoyed in conjunction with the appropriate program conditions.”
