This man bought an unlimited ticket for lifelong air travel, but after 20 years and 10,000 flights, an unpleasant surprise awaited him (5 photos)

In the early 1980s, American Airlines launched AAirpass, a prepaid membership program that allowed highly frequent flyers to purchase discounted tickets.





Then, in 1987, American Airlines introduced something straight out of a traveler's fantasy: a lifetime, unlimited-flight ticket.

Only a few dozen people took advantage of the offer, including one avid traveler named Steven Rothstein, who worked as a stockbroker and decided that an unlimited first-class ticket on American Airlines was a good investment, so he purchased it for $250,000.

This purchase opened up endless travel opportunities for Stephen, which he took full advantage of over the next two decades.



Rothstein became a true "flying man", making more than 10,000 flights around the world in 20 years. His favorite route was Paris, where he would often fly for breakfast, lunch or dinner and then fly back to the US that evening. This lifestyle allowed him to visit countless countries and experience different cultures.

However, 20 years later, Steven Rothstein discovered that his unlimited ticket had been revoked.

What happened?





American Airlines initially estimated that wealthy people spent a maximum of about $10,000 a year on flights, and that their unlimited tickets cost $250,000. Therefore, they were confident that even if the richest person flies for free for about 20 years, the company will still remain in the black.

What American Airlines didn't expect was that their client, Steven Rothstein, would take the word "unlimited" too much to heart and, within a few years, decide to recoup his entire investment by flying over 10,000 international flights in just 20 years.

Moreover, Steve not only spent $250,000 on an unlimited air ticket, but also gave away another $150,000 and bought an additional ticket that could be used in the same way, and thanks to this, he often gave his second ticket to various people in difficult life situations .

For example, Steve allowed a woman who missed her flight and was in a hurry to get to her children to use his second ticket for free. And also some other people he met at the airport.

It took American Airlines executives a long time to realize that offering a ticket that entitled them to unlimited first-class travel for life was a bad idea.



The airline scrutinized Steve's flight records back to 2006 and determined that he had spent more than $20 million on flights.

In truth, American Airlines was trying to overhaul the AAirpass program to get rid of 66 contracts (one of which was Steve's) that were costing them millions of dollars every year.

To avoid further financial loss, the airline offered Rothstein US$400,000 to give up unlimited tickets, but was refused.

Airlines are desperate to crack down on their heaviest travelers, so they've started taking legal action against their heaviest users. Allegations of fraud, bitter lawsuits and the eventual cancellation of unlimited tickets followed.

And in 2008, during an excursion to Bosnia, Steve Rothstein was told at the airport that his ticket had been canceled due to fraud.

Rothstein told the press: “I feel betrayed. They took away my hobby and my life. They essentially destroyed my personality. In this country, we are in thrall to big companies that have incredible power to do whatever they want. It's hard to fight them."

He concluded: “They signed a contract, and a contract is a contract, but they violated it by accusing me of fraud, although there were no rules in the contract that I could break.”



A few months later, Rothstein sued the airline. The legal battle continued for several years. As a result, in 2012, American Airlines filedthe Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and litigation were suspended. The case was subsequently dismissed by court decision without the possibility of appeal. American Airlines emerged from bankruptcy unscathed in 2013, and needless to say, today American Airlines no longer offers the "unlimited ticket" product.

“It appears the airline was looking for an excuse to get rid of my client,” Rothstein’s lawyer, Gary Sauter, told the Times.

One way or another, despite the fact that the cost of the ticket was high, Rothstein more than recouped his investment. Not only did he have an unforgettable travel experience, but he also saved a significant amount of money by avoiding the need to purchase separate tickets for each flight.