Q: How did you get the mailing address 1930 Frequent Flyer Point?
A: The city’s not real big on changing street addresses. So what I did was build an office building on 2 acres of land. On the backside of the building, I built an additional structure, a garage. That was a separate building permit, and as a result, they actually had to name the street. I kind of forced the city into allowing me to name my own street.
The office itself is affectionately known by a lot of customers, and us too, as the House of Miles.
Q: Why did you decide to start this business?
A: I was working in New York City as a marketing manager for a young men’s clothing company. My boss came to me and said, “I want to claim this reward with Marriott, and I can’t figure it out. Could you help me out?”
I’m thinking, “He’s a smart guy. Why can’t he figure it out?” He said, “I just don’t have the time, Randy.”
I became the guy around the water cooler who could get anybody upgraded or to Hawaii for free. Finally, I decided maybe there’s an idea here. So I quit the job and forced myself to start this company. I cut articles from frequent-flier-program newsletters and pasted them on some paper and had copies made. I went to LaGuardia and JFK airports in New York and handed them out to people. That’s really how I started.
Q: Why do you call yourself the guy in 22F, and not 2A?
A: I always have to talk to the next generation of frequent fliers coming up the ladder. I spend my time in coach because that’s where my next readers start from. Nobody starts in 1A. You always start in 30B, because that’s a middle seat.
Q: What do you think will be the biggest challenges for frequent fliers during this busy summer?
A: This summer is a very difficult time for cashing in your miles. There needs to be like a Version 2.0 of frequent-flier programs. The joke a lot of times is, I fly so much I really don’t want to get on a plane again. We’ve seen some evidence from United and Frontier and others – people will be able to buy more things than just free trips.
Q: What do you think is the best frequent-flier trick most people don’t know about?
A: Probably that hotel points are more valuable than frequent-flier miles today. I can go out and buy an airline ticket for $200. Maybe you want to look closer at having a hotel credit card and spend more time earning points to balance out those $250-a-night hotel rooms.
Q: How is Colorado Springs for running a business like yours?
A: The lifestyle here … mentally, it’s not challenging, and I love that. I can concentrate on what I do. (My employees) kind of like the quirkiness of what we do. And that’s my role as an entrepreneur, maybe as a boss. Money isn’t everything. What can I do to challenge them, to make them like this more than just money?
Q: You spell “flyer” with a y. What do you think of the “flier with an i” school of thought?
A: As I’m not an editor or an English major, I don’t know what’s right or wrong. As my editors tell me, it depends – AP style, blah blah, Chicago style and all the other stuff. It’s kind of like wine. Do you like chardonnays? Do you like reds? And in this case, I like Y-E-R.
Edited for space and clarity from an interview by staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi.
