American with lifetime United Airlines pass has flown over 23 million miles to more than 100 countries

American Tom Stuker isn’t your typical frequent flier.

The 69-year-old from New Jersey bought a lifetime pass from United Airlines three decades ago and has flown more than 23 million miles and visited more than 100 countries since then.

He had paid US$290,000 for the pass in 1990, according to the Washington Post, which he said was the “best investment of my life”.

Mr Stuker has flown about 22 million miles (35 million km) more than the 953,000 miles Apollo 11 spacecraft clocked in 1969 to take Mr Neil Armstrong to the moon.

In 2019 alone, his mileage from 373 flights covered more than six trips to the moon.

If he had paid cash for those flights, it would have cost US$2.4 million (S$3.2 million).

On top of the great value he gets for flights, he has been able to “live like a sultan” from the frequent flier miles he has accrued. He passed the 20-million-mile mark in 2019, according to an Instagram post.

According to Washington Post, he has enjoyed lavish hotel suites around the world, week-long cruises and gourmet meals from Perth to Paris.

He also used the miles to “redo his brother’s house” and, in the process, once cashed US$50,000 worth of Walmart gift cards in a single day.

He won a charity auction to make a cameo appearance in an episode of the hit sitcom Seinfeld by bidding 451,000 air miles.

United Airlines has asked for Mr Stuker’s input in crafting the menu of their new Polaris clubs, and has a Mercedes ready on the airport tarmac if he needs to make a quick connection.

In the thousands of flights he has been on, he said he has witnessed four people die, all from heart attacks.

“I’d met a couple of them too. Just died right in their seats. The last guy was up in business with me, Chicago to Narita (Tokyo),” Mr Stuker said.

“They covered him with a blanket and put the seat belt back on.”