Or are they already in there? While Ferrari offers street-legal versions of their cars largely to fund their racing program, it's harder for companies like Audi or Toyota to justify the expense, since their car sales arguably are not dependent on their racing programs. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Disclaimer:Upgraded Points, LLC and its website, UpgradedPoints.com, provides information on credit cards, reward programs, travel information and ancillary information concerning travel and credit cards. Beebe is credited with helping to engineer Ford's famous victory over Ferrari, but he has also taken a share of the blame for Miles losing to another GT40 driver. Upgraded Points, LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site and p. rior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com, all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates, annual fees and transaction fees, and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position. Ford v Ferrari Cast Guide: How The Characters Looked In Real Life, Why Ford v Ferrari's Title Is Different In Europe (& Why It's Bad). Thinking of Mollie and all of her terrific children, grandchildren, great grandchildren as well as her extended family worldwide. He is possibly most remembered for his role in the film Ford v Ferrari, which Christian Bale portrayed. youtube. In memory of my dear Granny Miles. Ford v Ferrari: A Car Movie with Good Storytelling, Ford v Ferrari: How Fishing Line Won the Race, Christian Bale Learned to Race for Ford v Ferrari, Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Her positive philosophical spirit was infectious. Gurney's car expired on the final corner and Ken Miles passed him, taking first place. Yes. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Spoilt us with trips around the beautiful country side of Oregon in the Lincoln continental. What a great innings (cricket term!). Heres an overview of the status you can expect to be granted when you fly a million miles or more with United Airlines. Its all in your control (except maybe for the living long enough part). "They're true friends aswell, their marriage is a strong one, they have great teamwork that's one of the key components about this film is teamwork," she said at the TIFF 2019 conference. He died instantly. "There were more races than we could track." Ford Motor Co. wanted to underscore the Ford dominance by having all three Detroit cars in the victory shot, so Beebe ordered Miles to ease up so the . Peter was joined the racing car Mollie at California's Riverside International when the accident occurred. Hi Bruce, fellow Delta lover. Million Miler status automatically grants you the associated status each calendar year. Ken and Mollie have been married since before World War II. Balfe plays Bale's wife, who is also an accomplished . Hi Fernando. One of the only things that is CGI is the shots of the crowd, due to the enormous size of the audience, which would have been difficult to recreate. Carroll Shelby : Oh, go to hell. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Or you can call the airline and they may put a note in the record locator of your flight. There remains some dispute about the exact manner of his death including at least one conspiracy theory that he never died but everyone seems to agree that it couldnt have been driver error and that a car malfunction or design error led to the deadly crash. But setting Million Miler status as your goal if youre a leisure traveler who pays for every flight might be a foolish endeavor and an expensive proposition. The music gets sad, the film goes into slow-motion, Mollie Miles runs toward her husband, and the audience understands that Ken Miles died. His life goal is to walk the earth, meet people and get into adventures. He admitted that his black car was the one seen on surveillance video circling Mollie Tibbetts while she was jogging in Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18, 2018. Any and all options, reviews, comments and analyses are the responsibility of the author(s) and not any Advertiser or credit card issuer. It wasnt so much the speed of the Ford that won the race, but its endurance (none of three Ferraris finished the race), back in a day when racecars were not necessarily designed to be able to withstand 24 hours of speed. Though Miles was disliked by many for his stubbornness, when he moved to the States he continued to race and build his own vehicles racking up an impressive rsum and catching the eye of Carroll Shelby. While this is a strong positive, reaching a million miles with Delta only grants you low-level Silver status. Alex Gurney as Dan Gurney: Race car driver Alex Gurney plays his father, Dan Gurney, who was a professional racer and instructor. He actually rode 350cc Trails special triumph broke. Sure, you might get to select a special gift, receive bonus miles, or even get a congratulatory card. 'You know it already.'". That and the lack of an English accent and his erratic memory gave me real pause. But is achieving Million Miler status even worth the time, cost, and effort? Mollie Miles is the wife of Ken Miles, a designer, and American racer. Noah Jupe as Peter Miles: Peter Miles is the teenage son of Ken Miles. The miles you have earned on your credit card are redeemable miles or bonus miles, not flown miles. Sorry, history!" He has a degree in journalism from the University of Montevallo, and is the author of the psychological thriller and time travel novel, "A Man Against the World." Gurney then pushed his car across the finish line. Once on the home page, click on My Account then Your Activity.. A mother has been arrested for allegedly stabbing her five young children, killing three, when a child protective services worker made a surprise visit to their home. Delta is an exception and does offer a limited number of Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM) for reaching specific spending levels on their branded credit card. Just off of Jamison Road, the property was not easily accessible as there was no bus service and those coming from Portland relied upon Canyon Road as the major road between Beaverton and the city. There was John Rolfe in The New World, Dieter Dengler in Rescue Dawn, Dicky Eklund in The Fighter, and Dick Cheny in Vice. Ford Motor Co. reached out to Shelby, and the two collaborated to build more innovative cars one of them being the winning GT40 featured in Ford v Ferrari. Mollie will be missed by all. Im having trouble finding an answer to that question! Like in the movie, he was prescribed nitroglycerin tablets. For the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, Carroll Shelby worked with Ken Miles to design a new model of the GT40 to beat Ferarri. Iit makes a difference.". Racking up a million miles in your frequent flyer account balance is not the same thing as achieving million-miler status. What is Mala? They kept me away, but I could see him Also, as depicted in the film, he did not attend the 66 Le Mans, but Peter Miles did attend the 65 Le Mans, where his father did not finish. Visit the United MileagePlus website for more information on elite status with United. The Ford J-car crashed immediately killed Ken. Upgraded Points, LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site and prior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com, all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates, annual fees and transaction fees, and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position. The object of the game was to run through a 1-mile (1.6 km) obstacle course through Los Angeles's Westlake . That's how he said it to me. Yes. Once, while riding the bike, he met with an accident . Peter Miles' spouse is from Somerset. My condolences to your family and my thoughts are with you all as you celebrate a great lady, she will be with Tom now and at peace. Jon Bernthal plays Iacocca in the film. The real-life Mollie has been described as an accomplished driver in her own right, and as a person who was deeply supportive of her . Hi Christine! via: sportscars.tv. Wish I would of know her , just reading about her she was an inspiration and a beautiful sole. Peter Miles Biography Peter is now a 70-year-old man. (LogOut/ Miles was a transplanted Englishman who came to California in 1952 and gained fame first as a sports-car racer and builder, then as the chief development driver for .css-xtkis1{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#1C5f8B;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;font-weight:bold;}.css-xtkis1:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Carroll Shelby. In the late '80s, Jones retired from police work. If you are referring to the standby list for an upgrade, you can find the upgrade priority order published on the airlines website. "I always found it interesting that every time I stumbled upon a clip on YouTube of Carroll Shelby talking about Ken Miles, he would get choked up a little bit, even as an old man," the actor said. For his latest film Ford v Ferrari, Christian Bale once again portrays a. This meant that brakes would no longer have to be run beyond their limits. Fly a million miles with Alaska Airlines and receive mid-level status for life. Dear Mollie,You and Tom where my family when I stayed with you in Portland, I have very fond memories of driving the old Mammoth Checker car and having evening Martinis with you both after a long day. Reception to follow. Flowers accepted, Donations may be made to her favorite music station, All Classical Portland. Today, companies still spend big amounts on their race teams. At a Toronto Film Festival press conference, Balfe said that the married couple have a solid friendship, which works in their favor. The combination of all of these resources helped to paint a picture of who Ken Miles was, what he did, what he looked like, what he sounded like and his personality, thereby giving Christian Bale a basis for his performance in Ford v Ferrari. Housing was difficult to find after WWII. Here's what you need to know about the cast as well as the real people they portray in the movie. Ken Miles' son, Peter Miles, made major contributions to the biopic, helping Bale prepare for the role. Miles wasn't as outraged over the idea as he is in the movie. Yet he seemed to know a great deal about Cobras and Shelby American. The actor didnt actually do any of the driving in the film. Josh Lucas, who has appeared in movies such as J. Edgar, Glory Road, American Psycho, and Secondhand Lions, plays the role of a Ford executive named Leo Beebe in Ford v Ferrari. The sudden change of plans fueled Henry Ford II to create his own engine, one that would not only be faster than the Ferrari, but also win a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a celebrated car race. Only flights operated by United and United Express count towards United Million Miler. Her explanation was that because the younger members of her family ended up students at McKay school she had more personal experience with that school. Yes. Mother Miles was the brownie leader, executive office organizer, typist, accountant, tax adviser for the office, fresh bread maker to all, host to international students and dignitaries and mother of four. Images and text may not be used without permission. His son Peter is the chief administrator of an $80 million vintage vehicle collection. James Mangold's Ford v Ferrari is driving up some serious Oscar buzz. By Virginia Vanture, written from notes taken while visiting with Mollie Miles in her home on May 10, 2011. How do I track my miles towards Million Miler status? Hi DT. As depicted in the movie, Miles was well ahead in the 66 race but slowed down on the orders of Ford exec Leo Beebe, which ultimately resulted in him finishing second, which also cost Miles the Triple Crown of 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Le Mans. It will NOT be published. Peter Miles is still actually around. You can track your lifetime flight miles on United.com by logging in to your United MileagePlus account and selecting View Account.. Otherwise, we operate outside the nutball world of the Whitney Houstons, Martha Stewarts, Lizzie Grubmans, Snoop Doggs, Tonya Hardings, Mike Tysons, and the bevy of silk-suited mountebanks and bunco artists who ran Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, etc. "I think rarely do movies like this get made nowadays the only time they do is when they're in the hands of a real genius, the best of the best. However, the credit card information that we publish has been written by experts who know these products inside out, and what we recommend is what we would (or already) use ourselves. Mollie is the wife of Christian Bale's character, Ken Miles. Jon Bernthal is best known for his roles as Shane in the first two seasons of The Walking Dead and the lead character in Marvel's Netflix series, The Punisher. Some images and text are reproduced here with permission. And heres a summary of the benefits you would receive with Gold and Platinum elite status: For more information on elite status, see our guide on American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program. What is Mala? Carroll Shelby : Good morning, Mollie. He is primarily known for his role as John Andre in TURN. I guess Peter Miles couldnt help with that, but Ken Miles son did also help out actress Caitriona Balfe, who plays his mother, Mollie Miles in the film. The conflict between Ken Miles and the Ford bureaucrats is played up significantly in the movie, in addition to Miles' hot temper. But when health complications forced him to retire from the tracks, Shelby switched gears and became a car designer. Cars and car people seldom make the front page of the New York Post or become subjects of a "ripped from the headlines" Law & Order episode-at least since John Z. If Im reading it right, Im currently about 18,000 miles short of the 2 million it takes for lifetime Gold. said director James Mangold of, No. His favorite actors are Tyrone Power and Eleanor Parker. Ford v Ferari is based a true story. Extensive research suggests that star race driver Ken Miles might have survived the reported fatal crash at Riverside on August 17, 1966. Mollie Miles. At first, Enzo Ferrari agreed to the deal, but there was a clause in the contract which stated that Ford would control the racing budget (and in turn the decisions). Her correspondence to all who came in contact was legendarythe Facebook connector of her dayand all through letters. The result was a robust 427-cubic-inch V-8 engine. Jaime got married to her fiance Jeff Moore on 26 January 2014. He can be reached by email at cnrmail@bellsouth.net and on Twitter at @cnraymond91. Yes. Which airlines have a Million Miler program? James Mangolds Ford vs. Ferrari starring Matt Daman and Christian Bale came out this November, and Roxanas review is spot-on: It is a highly satisfying Dad movie. Here he is at the premiere: Peter Miles also consulted with Bale on the film, at least in a limited capacity, as he told LeMans. McKinnon has starred in major films such as The Blind Side, Apollo 13, andO Brother, Where Art Thou?. Hot Tip: If youre interested in Medallion Elite status with Delta, know that it is possible to earn status from spending on Delta-branded credit cards. We may be compensated when you click on links from one or more of our advertising partners. Next:Why Ford v Ferrari's Title Is Different In Europe (& Why It's Bad). We have some amazing memories and we Thankyou both. Her notes were filled with humor and observations. Most experts close to the story think that Miles No.2 is or was a hoaxer. So exactly what is going on here? In order to create a more compelling story around its two main characters, Shelby and Miles, the movie largely omits the vast cast of participants who were responsible for the success of the GT40 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, if you have to pay for all of your flights, or just want to fly a million miles for bragging rights and to have low-level elite status, it is not worth it. Throughout the film, Ken and Carroll push the limits on the vehicle, leading Ken to have a few serious accidents. Peter joined Precision Performance Inc. in 1986. Frankly, I think there was a cover-up. Mollie is the wife of Christian Bale's character, Ken Miles. In 1929, when he was 11 years old, he started riding a "350cc Trials Special Triumph bike.". So regardless of your Million Miler elite status, you would still need to achieve the total amount of EQM/EQS, and EQD required for the higher levels, not just the difference. See our Advertiser Disclosurefor more details. The last time I met with her she wanted to apologize for not having more information to share with us about Garden Home School. If you are a family unit, turn on the "family pooling" feature. Yes. Leo Beebe, played by Josh Lucas, was Ford's director of special vehicles/PR specialist, and is most remembered for making a controversial decision during the 1966 Le Mans race. Our sympathy to all the Miles family. I have about 800,000 miles, none through actual flying though. You will then see your Million Miler balance. Speaking to British GQ,Bale, who lost a whopping 40 pounds to play Miles, said, "[James Mangold] sent me the script. But financial concerns and creative differences arose, forcing Shelby to part ways with Ford in 1969, and he went on to work for Dodge. The sports biographical film, which was originally titled Go Like Hell, is all about a race where the Ford Motor Company goes up against Ferrari after failing to buy them out. Tom and Mollie Miles built the modern rancher in 1950. Informally, Alaska Airlines refers to frequently flyer miles of a deceased loved one as "memorial miles." Although it is not officially written . Mostly I can fly with Frequent Flier miles on my Delta flights. But I am close to lifetime Gold status. The cars that still exist are worth millions and are far too valuable to be used in a movie. Peter, come and take the garbage out. There remains some dispute about the exact manner of his death including at least one conspiracy theory that he never died but everyone seems . Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with. And now she has reached adult age, in which she starts to . At the start of WWII, Christian Bale's real-life counterpart, Ken Miles, was posted to an anti-aircraft unit. British driver Ken Miles was played by Christian Bale in the film, and he was enlisted to drive the Ford GT40 Mk1 by his best friend, automotive designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon). Million Miler, however, is a level of recognition you can achieve without having to jump through the hoops that are associated with qualifying for annual airline elite status. He is considered to be the mastermind behind the infamous deal with Enzo Ferrari, fostering a vision that Ford cars could be synonymous with race cars. So to assist Christian Bale in preparing for the role, Peter Miles helped the actor get to know who his father was. Le Mans 66made its debut at the Telluride Film Festival back in August before getting a splashy premiere at TIFF in early September. Miles are calculated based on the distance flown on Alaska Airlines flights. Even if Ken Miles had been slightly ahead or tied with McLaren when the race ended, the fact that he obeyed orders from Ford and slowed down is what cost him the win. "He claimed to have been given a couple of million dollars by Ford to disappear," recalls Jones. Instead, period-correct replicas were built for the film, including the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40s and Ferrari 330 P3s. Find out more about Alaska Airlines elite status by visiting their Mileage Planwebsite. Peter, as depicted in the movie, was on site when his father died in the car accident (although, he was kept from the immediate scene). Rear end lift caused the car to loop, flip, crash and catch fire, breaking into pieces and ejecting Miles. He also acknowledged that she ended up in. He died, by all accounts, when his Ford J-car prototype crashed during private testing. But it would be pretty sweet if you could. Ford wrote the message on a business card and handed it to Beebe, who kept it in his wallet for the rest of his life. As he told LeMans.org, Peter Miles shared what he could with the man who would play his father on the big screen. After reaching your first one million mile threshold, you would have lifetime Silver Medallion Elite status which doesnt get you a lot of extra benefits. You will also have your new granted elite status continuously renewed each yearbut on the actual day you cross the million-mile mark, its likely that no one will notice. In 1927, she moved to California to compete in the longer and more challenging races held . "He was quiet, self-effacing, hardly a show-off," recalls Jones. This essentially forced Ken Miles to lose the race he had been determined to win. Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow served as the main host, with Matt "Money" Smith and Maria Taylor as co-hosts, and NBA player LeBron James as an executive producer. The film also known asFord v Ferrariin the States has been Academy Award-nominated for Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. We love you. She knows it haunts him. "I opted out of that program to save my life," he commented. A wonderful era has come to an end with the passing of Mollie Miles of Raleigh Hills aged 102! Thank you for the kind words and for the question. Heres how it works. Virtually all of it is business travel. But the car executive quickly moved on to Chrysler as president and is said to have saved the brand. .css-dhtls0{display:block;font-family:GlikoS,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:400;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-dhtls0:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 61.25rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.2;}}Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Elana Scherr: Dodge Challenger Challenge Accepted. Bale was looking to remain as faithful as possible to my father. December 10, 2018 | Columbus, OH | Friend. That's a pretty definite way to identify people and difficult to alter," says Jones. Although partially disabled, it did not deter her from traveling well into her 90s. that Mollie might be another standard movie wife, listening to the radio fearfully for updates of her husband, and he was keen to avoid it. Find out more about participating in an AAdvantage status challenge in our expert guide that tells you everything you need to know. The miles in your frequent flyer account are different from actual flown miles and do not count toward Million Miler status. After extensive research, Jones has compiled a fascinating dossier that suggests that star race driver Ken Miles might have survived the reported fatal crash at Riverside on August 17, 1966, and was found living in an abandoned school bus in rural Wisconsin. Here's what you need to know about the Ford v Ferraricast, and the real people they play in the movie. "She understood what her husband did," he tells, "They're true friends aswell, their marriage is a strong one, they have great teamwork that's one of the key components about this film is teamwork," she said at the, Caitriona Balfe Reveals How She Maintains A Healthy Approach To Ageing, FLASHBACK: Caitriona Balfe's First Irish Tatler Cover 18 Years Ago. At over 200 mph, the cars developed so much lift they'd encounter wheelspin. After moving to Hawaii, he told me his wife, Mollie, and son, Peter, became estranged and made off with his money." No. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Though it's not in the movie, investigating the true story confirms that this actually happened. The ante is then raised to even higher status when multiple millions are flown. We make big news only when a superstar such as Dale Earnhardt is killed or when a scandal such as the Ford/Firestone disaster jiggles the newsroom needles. Ken Miles, who is portrayed by Christian Bale in the film, died two months after the 1966 Le Mans. Yes. Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with. Balfe plays Bale's wife,who is also an accomplished driver, whileA Quiet Placebreakout star Noah Jupe will play Bales son, worried about the dangers his dad faces on the track. Rather, he said, Mollie understands and supports her husband's goals. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 16, 1905. Throughout his career, Christian Bale has portrayed many real-life people, some long dead and some very much alive. Peter began to work at Troutman and Barnes custom car shop under the tutelage of Dick Troutman who was a friend of Ken Miles. Our love to familyJane and Mick Burdon ArrowtownNew zealand. "She had been with him since before the war. Ken Miles Death, Cause . Irish Tatler is published by Business Post Media Group, Merrion Road, Dublin 4 . Miles was never able to compete in the race again because as depicted in the Ford vs. Ferrari he died while test-driving the Ford GT40's successor at the Riverside International Raceway. Hailed as one of the masterminds behind Ford Motor Co.'s success, Carroll Hall Shelby took a career path that was anything but straightforward. Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards Points, Citi ThankYou Points, and U.S. Bank FlexPoints are examples of these types of rewards currency. Mollie and Ken Miles' son, Peter Miles, with his daughter Jaime Moore in 2019. An iconic race is brought to life on the big screen thanks to theFord v Ferraricast, which consists of top-tier actors and actresses from across the industry. There are no elite qualifying miles, segments, or dollars granted. Its the last Le Mans Peter Miles ever attended. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media. Flights paid for with rewards currencies accrue miles toward Million Miler under the same rules as if you paid in cash. Its a really unique relationship. Hot Tip: If you are interested in having elite status with American Airlines, we can walk you through the process of requesting and completing a status challenge. Each airline Million Miler program calculates miles differently. Don't you get that? Lets explore the path to Million Miler status and see if the effort is worth it. Bottom Line: Uniteds Lifetime Million Miler program with the ability to grant a companion equal status is an exceptional program. "His neighbors talked about him as the 'ex-race driver.' Others insisted he was dead, even decapitated. The 10+ Easiest Credit Cards to Get Approved For [2023], 17 Best Ways To Redeem United MileagePlus Miles [for Max Value], BEST OFFER EVER: Earn $900 Bonus Cash Back, How to Earn Miles Toward American Airlines Million Miler, How You Earn Miles Toward Delta Million Miler. He was a talented racer-turned-designer known for his work on the AC Cobra and Mustang for the Ford Motor Company. This is different than how Loyalty Points are calculated for elite status, as these are based on spending. "He said they didn't want a badly injured survivor of one of their car crashes to be in public. However you choose to achieve the Million Miler milestone, you might want some guidance and information on what awaits you when you get there. Not exactly. The plant provided free Marshall strawberry plants to local residents to grow, and local children from Garden Home, McKay, and Raleigh schools were taken by school bus to pick the berries to be then taken to the Birds Eye plant for processing. He died while testing the Ford J-car, one of Ford's upcoming race cars. If a member of the family dies or leaves for any reason, the frequent flyer points stay in the pool and can be used by the family. Heartbroken news reveals on the internet that Ken's wife and his son died in an automobile race. he concluded. Christine was born in Northern Michigan but spent most of her career operating her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services offices throughout the state. This is because race officials ruled that since Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon started the race further back, they therefore covered a greater distance in the same time. However, since million miler does come with elite status, that elite status would elevate your priority on the upgrade list. While exploring how accurate Ford v Ferrari is, we learned that Ford failed to finish the race both years. Also available was the tenant house which the Miles quickly rented moving the family of five into a building then 14X20 feet wide. He then worked in machinery, and in 1942, he was promoted to staff sergeant. Trying to stretch to 2 million miles. Second,why would a man seize on the identity of a personality little known outside the world of racing and then fail to exploit it while lurking in the backwoods? If youre flying a lot of miles anyway, it is worth it for the lifetime elite status. The married duo is the proud parents of a daughter, Jaime Miles. Peter was also an off-road racer himself. The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. Hi Sandra. And as a car enthusiast herself, she also enjoys driving. But every once in a while a small mystery surfaces like the one in the '80s that suggested Lotus founder and design genius Colin Chapman had not died but rather bailed out of his failing empire and vanished-possibly to join Adolf Hitler in Argentina. Once I was told that being a million Miler put me first on the standby list for flight . No other airline Million Miler program offers the ability to earn top-level lifetime status or gift that same status to a spouse or significant other.