Tom Stuker has flown about 23 million miles (37 million kilometers) in three decades, the same as 48 round trips to the moon, but he says he is not concerned by his carbon footprint.
Stuker, dubbed the world’s most traveled air passenger, estimates he has spent the equivalent of three of his 69 years on planes and in airports. The businessman from New Jersey travels an average of 1.6 million kilometers a year, although in 2019 he clocked up 2.4 million kilometers.
Stuker owes his travel to a lifetime pass he bought from United Airlines for US$290,000 in 1990. At the time, his auto industry consulting business was expanding, particularly in Australia, and he wanted to save money on travel. He later took up the option of a companion pass, bringing his total spent to US$510,000, for which he took out a loan.
Photo: AFP
Then he was scared of flying, but not anymore.
The pass has likely saved him millions of dollars, but United appear happy with his business — they’ve put his name on three of their planes.
Stuker has flown an average of 35,406km a week since acquiring his pass and visits Australia about 20 times a year.
He has been featured in several US publications and has endured some abuse on social media, with users accusing him of contributing to global warming.
“Recently a person posted a comment saying he hopes that myself and my entire family die from my carbon footprint,” Stuker says.
The airline industry contributes up to 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, but experts say its impact on warming temperatures is worsened by its emission of other gases and condensation trails.
Scientists say the industry’s contribution to further warming can be halted with a 2.5 percent annual decrease in traffic using current fuels or a transition to a 90 percent carbon-neutral fuel mix by 2050, an industry target.
“The problem isn’t the passengers,” Stuker says. “The only way to solve the problem is with the airline industry itself, which is spending millions of dollars to reduce its overall emissions.”
So what is his top tip to ensure the smoothest possible travel? Catch the first flight of the day because it is usually cheaper, less busy, and not impacted by delays.
“Get your butt out of bed early!” Stuker says.
MULTIFACETED: A task force has analyzed possible scenarios and created responses to assist domestic industries in dealing with US tariffs, the economics minister said The Executive Yuan is tomorrow to announce countermeasures to US President Donald Trump’s planned reciprocal tariffs, although the details of the plan would not be made public until Monday next week, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. The Cabinet established an economic and trade task force in November last year to deal with US trade and tariff related issues, Kuo told reporters outside the legislature in Taipei. The task force has been analyzing and evaluating all kinds of scenarios to identify suitable responses and determine how best to assist domestic industries in managing the effects of Trump’s tariffs, he
TIGHT-LIPPED: UMC said it had no merger plans at the moment, after Nikkei Asia reported that the firm and GlobalFoundries were considering restarting merger talks United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電), the world’s No. 4 contract chipmaker, yesterday launched a new US$5 billion 12-inch chip factory in Singapore as part of its latest effort to diversify its manufacturing footprint amid growing geopolitical risks. The new factory, adjacent to UMC’s existing Singapore fab in the Pasir Res Wafer Fab Park, is scheduled to enter volume production next year, utilizing mature 22-nanometer and 28-nanometer process technologies, UMC said in a statement. The company plans to invest US$5 billion during the first phase of the new fab, which would have an installed capacity of 30,000 12-inch wafers per month, it said. The
Taiwan’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month rose 0.2 percentage points to 54.2, in a second consecutive month of expansion, thanks to front-loading demand intended to avoid potential US tariff hikes, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday. While short-term demand appeared robust, uncertainties rose due to US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policy, CIER president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s economy this year would be characterized by high-level fluctuations and the volatility would be wilder than most expect, Lien said Demand for electronics, particularly semiconductors, continues to benefit from US technology giants’ effort
‘SWASTICAR’: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close association with Donald Trump has prompted opponents to brand him a ‘Nazi’ and resulted in a dramatic drop in sales Demonstrators descended on Tesla Inc dealerships across the US, and in Europe and Canada on Saturday to protest company chief Elon Musk, who has amassed extraordinary power as a top adviser to US President Donald Trump. Waving signs with messages such as “Musk is stealing our money” and “Reclaim our country,” the protests largely took place peacefully following fiery episodes of vandalism on Tesla vehicles, dealerships and other facilities in recent weeks that US officials have denounced as terrorism. Hundreds rallied on Saturday outside the Tesla dealership in Manhattan. Some blasted Musk, the world’s richest man, while others demanded the shuttering of his
RSS