thedailywhat: Very Frequent Flier of the Day:...

thedailywhat:

Very Frequent Flier of the Day: Over the weekend, Tom Stuker, a Chicago-based automotive sales consultant and real-life Ryan Bingham, became the first person to accumulate 10 million miles with United’s frequent flier program. Unlike his Up in the Air counterpart, however, Stuker’s miles were all earned in the air.

Since joining the program in 1982, Stuker has flown United nearly 6,000 times. His magic mile was tallied over Des Moines, Iowa en route to Chicago. Upon landing at O’Hare International Airport, the 10 Million Mile Man was feted at the C concourse Red Carpet Club by United CEO Jeff Smisek, Mileage Plus President Jeff Foland, and other execs and employees Stuker had come to consider his second family over the past 30 years.

Among the gifts he received for hitting the landmark figure: A one-of-a-kind titanium Global Services membership card loaded with perks, a meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a Cubs game, and his name on the side of a 747.

“I love travel,” says Stuker. “I got hooked a long time ago, whether it’s the Louvre in Paris or the pyramids or an African safari, I just really like seeing the world. If I go a week or two without flying, I get really jumpy and really antsy because I find so much solace, so much peace when I fly. I’m so relaxed.”

[msnbc / cnn / video: imatlin.]