How far would you go for free food? One man in China may have just taken the concept of “meal planning” to an entirely new altitude quite literally.

✈️ The Brilliant (or Bold) Plan

A savvy traveler in China figured out a clever way to dine like royalty without breaking the bank by purchasing just one first-class ticket.

Here’s how it worked:
He bought a fully refundable first-class ticket on Eastern China Airlines. With that golden ticket in hand, he gained access to the exclusive VIP lounge at Xi’an International Airport a space typically reserved for premium passengers, offering free meals, snacks, and drinks in comfort.

Instead of flying, he simply ate.

🔁 The Rebooking Loophole

Rather than using the ticket to travel, the man repeatedly rebooked the same flight over 300 times. Each time he’d reschedule the trip, stroll into the VIP lounge, fill up on free food, and leave only to do it all over again the next day.

This gourmet hustle reportedly went on for nearly a full year.

🛑 The Airline Finally Catches On

Eventually, airline officials noticed something suspicious the same first-class ticket number had been rescheduled hundreds of times.

When they confronted him, the frequent diner finally gave up the game. But here’s the kicker: since the ticket was fully refundable, he cashed it in and got all his money back.

That’s right. A year of fine airport dining, at zero cost in the end.

🗣️ What Did the Airline Say?

While officials at Eastern China Airlines admitted there wasn’t much they could legally do to stop him, a spokesperson called the scheme a “rare act.”

We’d call it rare too rare steak, rare cleverness, and definitely rare guts.

💬 Final Thoughts

Some call it unethical, others call it genius. But one thing’s for sure: this man found a first-class loophole and milked it (along with whatever was on the buffet menu) for all it was worth.

So the next time you’re stuck with airport food prices, just remember somewhere out there, a man had free croissants and cappuccinos every day for a year… using a single plane ticket.