CHICAGO - A man who paid about $400,000 to fly first-class anywhere in the world with a companion for the rest of his life is suing American Airlines for revoking that right.
Steven Rothstein, who lived in Wilmette at the time, paid nearly $250,000 in 1987 for the lifetime pass, and an additional $150,000 two years later to take a companion along with him during his flights.
Rothstein on Tuesday filed a $7 million lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court, claiming the airline illegally revoked the passes in December after alleging he fraudulently used the flight passes by making "speculative reservations" for companions
American Airlines no longer sells lifetime pass, and Rothstein claims the alternative cost of purchasing first-class tickets for the rest of his life would cost $7 million.
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--- I wonder how many of these are still around...
I never knew airlines did such a thing before! I wish I could do that now with a full-service carrier! If I'm in a bad mood and want to escape for the weekend, I could take a red-eye outbound to Europe and return the same day, watch some movies, and get wined and dined.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GITU
What does "red-eye" mean?
I never knew AA offered this either, but I'm guessing it is long over.
A Red Eye is an overnight flight. Typically flying east into later time zones. A flight from LAX-JFK has approx 6 hour flight time PLUS 3 hour time difference=nine hours on your watch. In this example, a flight leaving LAX at 11pm arrives at JFK 8am. Seems convenient, however, they are called Red Eyes because thats what your eyes look like after such a flight.
A man who paid about $400,000 to fly first-class anywhere in the world with a companion for the rest of his life is suing American Airlines for revoking that right.
Steven Rothstein, who lived in Wilmette at the time, paid nearly $250,000 in 1987 for the lifetime pass, and an additional $150,000 two years later to take a companion along with him during his flights.
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Like Deltahater said, there must be more to the story. I'm sure AA had him sign something when he purchased it giving them some conditions. IIRC, AA last sold these through Neiman Marcus in 2004
If I'm in a bad mood and want to escape for the weekend, I could take a red-eye outbound to Europe and return the same day, watch some movies, and get wined and dined.
