August 02, 2015
For most of us, frequent flyer miles are a way to defray the cost of routine business trips or, once in a blue moon, plan a vacation earned through a history of vacationing.
For others, it's a Hobby with a capital H.
Ben Schlappig, founder of the blog "One Mile at a Time," is the one of The Hobby's founding masters, a full-time flier who zips around the world, basking in luxury accommodations, for free. In a recent Rolling Stone profile, the ins and outs of the complex techniques used by Hobby members are explored in depth, revealing the cracks in major airlines since deregulation in the late 1970s and the creation of frequent flier programs.
Schlappig, 25, is one of the biggest stars among an elite group of obsessive flyers whose mission is to outwit the airlines. They're self-styled competitors with a singular objective: fly for free, as much as they can, without getting caught. In the past 20 years, the Internet has drawn together this strange band of savants with an odd mix of skills: the digital talent of a code writer, a lawyer's love affair with fine print, and a passion for airline bureaucracy. It's a whirring hive mind of IT whizzes, stats majors, aviation nerds and everyone else you knew who skipped the prom.
As one would expect, the airlines are doing everything they can to stop the practice, which relies in part on exploiting technical flaws and errors in airfare listings. On the milder side, however, where Schlappig has found a sweet spot, it's about encouraging fliers to make the best use of their incentives with airlines.
Just as fascinating as the Hobby itself, however, is the peculiar type of person attracted to a lifestyle of perpetual flight and layover time. In the past year alone, practically for free, Schlappig has flown more than 400,000 miles—enough to circle the globe 16 times. Meanwhile, the global stock of frequent flier miles was valued by The Economist at more than $700 billion in 2005.
"The world is so big, I can keep running," Schlappig says. "At the same time, it makes you realize the world is so small." After a long pause, he continues, "I want what I can't have. There's nothing gratifying about that. It's crazy, and it's f----d up. I'd still like to think I'm a reasonably happy person." He grins. "Despite all that."
The full story offers a compelling look at what it means to "take advantage" of a system that can be utilized to find bargains or, for some, to support a freewheeling way of life.
Read the article at Rolling Stone.
