Here’s how I’ve crossed my other “Million Mile” thresholds:ġ,000,000: Septemin First Class aboard a United DC-10 between Seattle and DenverĢ,000,000: in Economy Class aboard an Alaska 737-400 between Seattle and Anchorageģ,000,000: Main Business Class aboard a LAN Chile 767-300 between Caracas and LimaĤ,000,000: Januin First Class aboard an Alaska 737-800 between Los Angeles and PortlandĪt present, the only travels I have booked and confirmed for this spring are a six day train trip and the flights necessary to get me to my start point in Chicago, Illinois. Only a tiny fraction of humanity – even here at Flyertalk – has flown anywhere near that many miles. I mean, we’re talking Five Million Miles here. It is a significant milestone that I’d like to achieve in a style appropriate to the gravity of the accomplishment. Now, as I approach the threshold of my 5 millionth mile flown, I’ve been mildly concerned with when and how I’m going to go about crossing it. As of today I’ve logged 5,125 flights covering 4,972,360 miles aboard 178 different airlines. For a kid who at age four became fascinated by airplanes following his first flight aboard a classy golden tailed Continental 707, I’ve done pretty well. My $5.00 per week allowance never allowed me to venture beyond the realm of fantasy but it sure was fun to visit that realm now and then.įast forward to the present and I’m happy to report that yesterday’s fantasies have become today’s reality. I’d carefully write out detailed itineraries and then sit back, review them and dream. Domestic examples included Braniff DC-8s or North Central DC-9-30s. Back in those days “exotic jetliners” meant aircraft like Air Malawi’s VC10 or an Aerolineas Peruvianas Convair 990. Many years back when I was but a wee lad I used to pull out my trusty OAG (that I’d acquired used from the local travel agency) and plan these awesome trips all over the world aboard all manner of exotic airliners. Whereas the bear does it because it’s perpetually hungry, I do it because it’s fun. Like a hungry grizzly snuffling around on the tundra in the spring, I’m always sniffing around for good deals. When it comes to future travels in any form, my radar is always up. As I sat at my desk typing out responses to participants’ answers in the Old Timer’s Airline Quiz & Discussion thread over in the Travel Buzz section of this vast site we call FlyerTalk, I decided to take a break from the action and check out a couple of potential mileage runs to be added on to a train trip that I’m taking in April. It’s been a good winter here in the Interior with lots of sunny days and temperatures often climbing above 0☏, sometimes even into the teens. I live in a cabin amidst towering spruce trees about ten miles outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. Let’s back up for a moment and take a look at how it all unfolded… The fact that I’ll be doing so while cradled in the lap of luxury aboard two of the world’s premier practitioners of the art of International standard First Class service makes this trip all the more exciting. ![]() ![]() Now – quite suddenly it seems - here I am strapped into seat 15D on a Horizon Airlines DHC-8-400, winging my way down to Anchorage and beyond in full pursuit of my five millionth mile flown. I didn’t know for sure that I’d actually be doing so until 10:00 o’clock last night, just 10 hours ago. I first came up with the idea of taking this trip just sixteen hours ago. ![]() Done suddenly and without planning: Resulting from a sudden impulse Doing things or tending to do things suddenly and without careful thought : Acting or tending to act on impulse.
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