Why can't I be this smart?

[GA Russell]

Rather than tell you what the deal is, I'll let you read the article for yourself, and wonder why you or I didn't think of this first.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/01/28/man-uses-one-first-class-ticket-to-get-free-airline-lounge-meals-for-year/

[Leeway]

Most airlines charge pretty stiff change fees, so it likely wouldn't work here. Besides, would you want to go to the airport every day, park, go through security, stand on line to change ticket, etc just to eat airline food (even though first-class is the best of a bad lot)?

[erwbol]

Perhaps he works really close to the airport.

There are all kinds of crazies. Over 15 years ago there was a recluse on Dutch television who ate only pigeon food which he warmed a little in his microwave. He kept a waste container filled with the stuff at the back of his house.

[BeBop]

Keep a few things in mind:

- As a frequent flyer (in the perception of the Chinese equivalent of the US's Transportation Security Administration - regardless of whether he actually FLEW), he would receive only "light security". In the US, we call it Pre-Check. (It used to be just for 200K miles a year fliers.) You don't unpack your bag (he probably didn't have one), you keep your belt and shoes on. No body scan.

- Airline food is an entirely different thing than airline food, particularly for Asian airlines and in first class. It's good restaurant quality. Potentially three meals a day.

I have no idea whether or not he did use a sleepbox, but he might have. (Airport description: Sleepboxes Conceptualized as a mini hotel, the Sleepboxes provide travelers with a place to rest and relax between journeys, offering all the essentials on a compact scale. Facilities include a full-size bed, power supply, WiFi, a foldable computer desk, LCD TV and others.)

In travel, there are lots of schemes; this one isn't particularly clever or lucrative compared to many.