61: AAirpass: American Airlines’ Best Worst Idea

An Old Timey Podcast

True Crime, History, Comedy

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2025

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1981, American Airlines offered an incredible deal. For just $250k, people could purchase a lifetime pass that entitled them to unlimited first class travel, anywhere the airline flew, for the rest of their lives. People could also purchase a companion pass that would allow anyone to fly with them.

They called it the AAirpass. It didn’t take long for the airline to discover that they’d priced the AAirpass too low. Way too low.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“The frequent fliers who flew too much,” by Ken Bensinger for the Los Angeles Times
“My father had a lifelong ticket to fly anywhere. Then they took it away,” by Caroline Rothstein for Narratively
“The rise and demise of the AAirpass, American Airlines’ $250k lifetime ticket,” by Zachary Crockett for thehustle.co
“‘Free’quent flier has wings clipped after American Airlines takes away his unlimited pass,” by Kate Briquelet, for the New York Post
“Extreme frequent fliers sue American Airlines over loss of unlimited lifetime ticket,” by Erin McLaughlin for ABC News

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hear ye, hear ye. You are listening to an old-timey podcast. I'm Kristen Caruso.
0:08.1	And I'm Normie C. And on this episode, I'll be talking about a corporate promotion.
0:14.7	Yay! We love corporations. They are people, too. Sounds very exciting.
0:20.6	Uh-huh.
0:21.3	Nothing goes wrong.
0:22.5	No details in that topic.
0:24.4	This corporate promotion.
0:25.8	What?
0:26.3	What's wrong?
0:27.0	Is this a sponsored episode?
0:29.1	I wish.
0:30.5	Yeah, that would be good.
0:31.7	Alas, it is not.
0:32.8	If anything, it might get us kicked off a couple flights.
0:36.3	Oh.
0:37.2	Something to do with an airline, huh?
0:38.9	But Norm, hold on.
0:41.0	Yeah.
0:41.4	Hold your horses.
0:42.0	We're back from break, baby.
0:43.7	We are back, baby.
0:45.3	The people demanded us.
	...

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