For the top flyer in the world, 28 million BIS miles is not unbelievable to me. A NYC-SIN or NYC-SYD return once a week would just about do it. Add an occasional side trip and after 25 years you've got it. Not likely, but 1 person in the world can do the unlikely. I know of FTers who have done more than a million/year for a few years. Possible someone would actually do it for 25 years. Its only an average of 3100 BIS miles/day.

Someone with a body (like mine) that can feel well rested after a premium long-haul and keep going without pausing...quite possible to keep that up.

Not possible in econ....I say that as one who did a month with an average of 4400 miles/day for that month...mostly flown in econ. I could have done more...but not in the long term. A job requiring an average of 3100 BIS miles/day flown in premium cabins would definitley be sustainable for some.

28 million miles as a total miles figure seems way too low to me...what about the people who spend a couple million CC $ a year AND earn many miles other ways. I have earned 1.3 million AA miles in the past 3 years with 0 CC miles...but don't some charge a few million a year for more than 10 years? Yes, most people would have the common sense to diversify...but there are always the few who keep everthing in one pot....

What seems reasonable for a normal person and what seems reaonable for a world record holder are two very different things to me.

(I haven't read the article referenced so have no idea what it says - I'm only responding to ideas vocalized in this thread.)