ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines celebrated a milestone reached by one of its customers last month.
The man, referred to by the airlines as Todd O., became the first and only 14 million mile traveler.
"Everyone who works at the Delta Sky Club knows him,” JFK Airport Operations Service Manager Ikrame Elaouane said, noting how Todd would often go out of his way to spend time with Delta employees at the Sky Club.
“He always goes to the chocolate shops and gets goodies for the employees,” Switzerland Station Manager Noeli Morf said.
Todd reached 14 million miles back on March 6 while on a flight from Zurich to New York. According to a release from the airline, the trip also coincided with his birthday.
To honor the occasion, he was surprised with a custom birthday cake and flight attendants wished him both a happy birthday and a congratulations on becoming Delta’s first 14 million miler.
Pilots even made a congratulatory announcement on the plane over the intercom.
And once on the ground? Delta said they brought Todd to the Sky Club, where more crew greeted him and was gifted a bottle of champagne, a specially prepared menu and some more birthday cake.
The airline noted that Todd's achievement was celebrated at airports in Zurich, New York and San Diego, where he lives.
“All of our on-duty staff were at the gate when he arrived,” San Diego Station Manager Jason Kempster said. “We told him that it was an honor to welcome him home and thanked him for all the years he has traveled with us.”
In a special story written on Todd, the airline pointed to both his passion for travel and flying.
“I think one of the most amazing things about flying is that in the span of three, seven or 10 hours, you can be transported to an environment or a culture that’s completely different or be reconnecting with family and friends thousands of miles away,” the self-described "av geek" said in the story.