Thomas Stuker, a 58 years old American businessman, has been rewarded for his loyalty to the airline company “United Airlines” after accumulating 10 million air miles.

For 29 years this salesman has boarded 5,962 United Airlines flights and flown the equivalent of 400 times around the globe. As a result he will never have to queue at airports, always get upgraded, and a plane has been named after him.

In 2009, Thomas Stuker was already United’s top flier.  As he remarked at Time magazine at the time, “when I call the 800 number in Michigan, most of the time I don’t even have to introduce myself, they know me. I got my own 1-800 KISS MY ASS hotline”.

Before been rewarded for the ten million miles, Stuker had also enjoyed elite services during his flights over the years. As he explained at the Time´s interview, he enjoyed $500 of free wine one Christmas and another time, a gourmet dinner at Chicago’s Tru for two (“They even let me pick the wine, which they might not do again”). He even had a United-sponsored appearance as a diner on Seinfeld (“I just sat there; they didn’t want me to talk”).

In the interview at the outlet media he stated that when he reaches the 10 million miles he will do it in style. “It won’t be on a flight to Des Moines or Omaha, I’ll take a bus before I cross the mark on one of those flights. It’s going to be an international flight, probably Europe with my girlfriend. I’m going to plot it out exactly and know when I hit it. And hell yeah, there is going to be champagne.”

However, sometimes life is not exactly as people expect it. Plans can change. Now, three years after that interview, Stuker has made his dream come true but not as he wished. Mr Stuker reached the milestone after arriving to his native Chicago, not to Europe, on the 9th of July.

Despite this great achievement before boarding the flight to Chicago, Mr Stuker admitted that many years ago he was scared to death of flying. “I couldn’t get on an aircraft, it really bothered me,” he told America’s National Public Radio.”But now it’s evolved to a time where if I go a week without a flight something’s not right.”

“Up in the air” goes down to the earth

Mr Stuker´s feat may resemble the movie “Up in the Air” starring George Clooney. However, in this case it seems that reality doesn´t go above and beyond fiction.  In the film when Bingham (played by George Clooney) hits his 10 million-mile goal during a flight from Chicago to Omaha he receives a surprise champagne celebration onboard, and American Airlines’ chief pilot appears for a congratulatory sit-down visit.

Bingham also receives an instant upgrade: a personally engraved metal card that will allow him to directly access his own private operator, someone who will greet him by name.

As Stuker, other people have hit this milestone before him. Unfortunately, non of them have received as good services as Clooney does in his movie. In 2007, Phillip Dunkelberger, the president of a data protection firm, went over 10 million miles in his flight to Zurich. As he stated to the Time magazine, ”I knew this trip would put me over 10 million miles.”

According to Dunkelberger, his Executive Platinum status with American is “pretty sweet”. Among its advantages on the one hand, it offers upgrades, lounge access and a 100% flight mileage bonus (meaning he doubles his miles with each trip). On the other hand, if he wants to keep these privileges he must also hit certain mileage marks each year.

Another American that once crisscrossed the skies reaching the ten million miles is Jerold Solovy, who had been flying American Airlines for 64 years.  He cannot even remember when he crossed the 10 million mile mark. “I wasn’t keeping track,” he said to Time magazine. “American Airlines wrote me a nice letter. They advised me I crossed. They keep me posted.”

He admitted that he expected more than a letter. Still, he was proud of the status it affords him. “I go to O’Hare and LaGuardia and they treat me royally. I know everyone and they are very nice to me,” said Solovy.

Real life doesn’t provide definitely the amazing party that Clooney enjoys for actual 10 million miles, though certainly get treated well.  With the rewards points all of them can travel to any international destination several times a year. And what it is more important as Solovy said to the Time magazine, “I don’t know what they did for Mr. Clooney; for me I get good service, they get me where I want to go and when I want to get there.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/11811587@N04/1241864259/sizes/z/in/photostream/

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A new TSA screening procedure, introduced late last year, has continued to outrage Americans over what some suggest is a violation of civil liberties.  Disgruntled passengers have been sharing their stories of humiliation and lawmakers are starting to hear the complaints.

The new body scanners have also been referred to as “porno scanners”, because the images displayed reveal the passenger as nude.  These body scanners have caused many people to feel concerned over privacy issues.  Transportation Security Administration states that the scanned images are blurry and black and white.  They report that the images are never saved.  However, the body scanners are able to save and send pictures. There are also health concerns.  The body scanners deliver a low level of radiation to passengers.  It is believed that they deliver 20 times more radiation than what was originally reported.  Although the chance of developing skin cancer from the body scanner is very low, it would be higher in children and people with gene mutations.  There are currently 134 body scanners at 38 airports in the United States.  This year, TSA expects to add 1,000 additional units at airports all over the country.

For those that opt out of the scanner or for health reasons cannot use the scanner, the individuals must submit to an “enhanced pat-down.”  These pat-downs seem worse than the porno scanners.  TSA agents run their hands up and down passengers’ legs and into the groin area.  Women’s breasts are pinched and groped.  Those are the techniques that TSA admits to.  Passengers claim that some TSA agents actually put their hand down individuals’ pants.  TSA claims that same-sex agents take a passenger into a private screening room for the pat-downs but many passengers say this isn’t true.

Lawmakers have been reacting to the public outrage.  In New Hampshire, a Republican state representative has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to touch or view someone’s private parts without their consent.  In California, the district attorney in San Mateo County, Steve Wagstaffe, has stated he would take any complaints about the enhanced pat-down seriously.  Wagstaffe has said that if his office receives any complaints about the screeners touching in an inappropriate way with “sexual or lewd intent,” he will prosecute.  There have been other local and state efforts that have gotten nowhere.

TSA maintains that the procedures are necessary. A statement from TSA chief John Pistole said, “All pat-downs are done professionally and are designed to detect hidden explosives that could bring down a plane. Only a small percentage of passengers end up needing them. Pat-downs have long been one of the many security measures TSA and virtually every other nation has used in its risk-based approach to help detect hidden and dangerous items.”

The body scanners are also used on children.  Last year, a 12 year old girl was leaving Tampa with a friend and her friend’s parents.  The body scanner was used on her.  The girl was traumatized when she returned to her home in Baltimore.  In England, the body scanners are not allowed to be used on passengers under the age of 18 because it violates child pornography laws.  Many sexual assault victims also have a difficult time flying any more.  They must choose between allowing a person to see them naked or be pinched, groped, or prodded.  The extra security is not working either.  Just recently, a Jet Blue passenger was allowed to go through security with three box-cutters in his carryon luggage.  That is right, box cutters—the very weapon used during the 9/11 hijacking.

TSA is violating passengers for no apparent reason.  It doesn’t make us safer.  It may provide the illusion that we are safer but in the long run, we are not.

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