Randy may you have even more fun in retirement than we do here. Good luck and happiness and health to you.

Randy you linked us up to become friends and family. Just wanted you to know that what you've done for us over the years - I am very thankful. Good Luck!

My sincere thanks goes out to Randy for making magical aspirational travel adventures happen for me, family, and friends.

:D thanks

Randy, you have changed my life and the lives of my children. They have gotten to see parts of the world they would never have experienced, and it is because of you. They will have a lifelong love of travel and that is thanks to you.

You are an amazingly giving and gracious man. The time you have spent nurturing FT and its many members is immeasurable. The world literally IS a different, and better, place to all of us because of you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done. I appreciate you more than words can say. Best of luck and safe travels always.

Thank you for all you have given us Randy! I have no doubt you will enjoy whatever comes next! ^

As for me, I have seen the world because of FlyerTalk. And I have made some fantastic friends. My first Flyer Talk moment came back in 1999 when I realized that I was getting snail mail for some guy named Matt Wald (aka kokonutz) whose office was coincidently exactly three blocks over from my house. I was FTer geo1004 at the time and the 1004 was my house number. Matt Wald's office address at the time was 1004 Duke Street just a few blocks over... and somehow through FT we realized we'd been trading posts about travel AND that I had his mail. Thank goodness for FT and the poor delivery standards of our local postal carrier. :D

Since then I have literally been all over the world, flying in business or first. And of course I have to thank you for sending me and chexfan over to Europe to help a fellow FTer test-drive his new travel company Competitours. What a great success!

Thanks again for all you've done Randy!

Cheers!

Randy, you had a vision to help and made it happen. Lots of people have benefited from that vision. Thank you for being that visionary and having the determination to realize it.
Wishing you the success in your other endeavors.

Randy,

You've started an industry, a hobby, and a whole lot of fun for many people now involved in this endeavor. I also thank you for the knowledge that you've imparted ,and the opportunity to experience travel that I would have have had the chance to do otherwise.

Good luck, and best wishes in whatever you decide to do from here.

I'm still in shock over this announcement :( I want to express my gratitude to Randy for creating this place that has become such an important part of my life - it will not be the same without you here. I hope that you will stop by from time to time and also that we will have the chance to keep in touch and meet again in the future :)

Hey Randy (and I only say it because he has brought up his "troublesome" past) for the first time this decade (and perrhaps the second time in two decades) you have gotten me and Ozstamps together on the same thread and agreeing about the same thing. That is how powerful you and this announcement has been!

Randy,

I can only but echo what dozens of people have already said in this thread and what countless thousands of others would also say: you're responsible for changing my life. As someone hopelessly addicted to travel, you've made it possible for me to actually see the world (and see it in style!) instead of sitting at home wishing I could afford to see the world.

Your generosity and the generosity of our fellow community members has personally touched me countless times. Truly, I think you can never overestimate the impact you've had in my life, and I have absolutely no doubt that's true for thousands upon thousands of others.

I mean it when I say you will ALWAYS be welcome on FlyerTalk and among FlyerTalkers, and I hope you stay connected to the community. You will always be among friends wherever you go in the world.

I wish you the best with the next phase of your life!

Randy Peterson departure
 

Randy,

A sad day for those of us who have greatly benefitted from your generosity of spirit in creating this amazing site and forum.

As you indicated in your message that Flyertak was a way to pay it forward and it that respect I believe your goal has been wildly exceeded.

Although I have never had the opportunity to meet any of the folks on this board personally, since the meet ups either were at bad times or I could not convince the wife of my need to attend I feel a kinship with my fellow flyertalkers.

The amount of joy that I get in passing along many of the ideas I get on this board to my non-obsessive mileage collecting friends allows me to get in a small way to experience what you must on a daily basis.

Whatever is next for you I am sure will be better for you being part of that industry, that company, or those people.

Happy trails!!

:)HaHa:)"Well it just goes to show ya, it's always something!"
I stumbled into this place, too. Found out they were holding out on me with this thing called coupon connection.:mad: So I made a mad dash for it; and that's when I first experienced the "Randy Effect". Turned out participation in the community was more valuable than the stuff in the coupon connection. Who'da thunk?:)
I was reading this Flyertalk stuff daily and still not really connecting it to myself when someone mentioned Mileage Pro. That book put the pieces together for me; let me see how this stuff could actually be helpful to me. Half a decade after publication Randy's (and Tim's) work was still helping people. Who knows how long into the future Flyertalk may be able to help others.:)
First it was bedbugs, then the demise of Airtran; now this!:D Maybe, the Mayan's are on to something! But till then, let us travel on our merry ways. Thank you, Randy, for showing us how to make those travels a little merrier.;) We will always have Paris ... (Texas):D; so don't think of it as goodbye forever, I'd say it's more like goodbye 4now.;):p:D:)

Randy,
With so many eloquent and sincere words written above all of which I heartily agree.
May it be said "You have Truthfully enriched the the lives of your devoted and dedicated followers"

Randy,

Thanks for everything! No question that FT has become the 'go to' resource for travelers, frequent fliers or not. It has certainly helped me travel better and smarter. Thanks for your insight, knowledge and just plain good common sense!
Best of luck in your life after FT!

sobore

I go away for a day and what do I find on my return - this (to me) sad news in a thread with over 100 responses so far. What can I add to those 100+ posts other than to say thank you for changing my life!

My 10 years or so with FT were not the beginning of our association. I have in my hand the Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook 1990 Edition, co-authored by Randy. How things have changed in 20 years! The front cover has logos of (presumably) the main programs of the time - Holiday Inn, Sheraton, InterContinental Hotels, National Car Rental, Omni, Southwest, TWA, America West, Continental, Hyatt, Canadian, Pan American, Radisson, Hawaiian and MGM Grand Air. More inside, of course. Few of these remain, and those that do have been enhanced almost out of recognition.

In those days, long before British Airways' Executive Club and even longer before Lufthansa's Miles and More joined the throng, Brits needed to enrol in US programs to get mileage credit. And those programs didn't exactly make it easy.

Randy contributed to UK travel magazines and made the frequent flyer world and expectations more widely known over here. Thanks for waking up the Eastern side of the pond!

I join the others in wishing you the best in your future endeavors.

Randy,

Best of luck in the future. As so many others have said, FT has not only been a place to exchange information online, it has also become a community, a family. I count among my friends any number of folks I've met here.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Legacy
 

You're leaving an amazing legacy.
I'm thankful you had the vision and the courage to step into your dream and make FT a reality. The last couple of years this site has made an impact in my life and my college kids lives as well. My regret is that I didn't find this community sooner.
Your work/hobby has touched lives and blessed others. May you also be blessed.