Andrew Gibbons admits flying from Washington, D.C. to Beijing just to fly back “doesn’t make a lot of sense.” But he did it this week because he enjoys flying on inaugural flights—United debuted the D.C.-Beijing route Wednesday—and he’s not alone. The Washington Post profiled Gibbons and other airline ‘geeks’ yesterday. 

Del Quentin Wilber writes in the Post:

Gibbons is part of a subspecies of frequent fliers who chase inaugural flights because they adore airlines, airplanes, even airports. They seek to be part of airline milestones. Among their ranks are those who like the prestige of being the first passengers on the world’s longest flight, or the first or last travelers aboard a specific type of airplane. Some want to be the first passengers to take a short hop on new routes offered by low-cost, low-frills carriers.

These airline maniacs are like spurned lovers—maintaining their affection for an industry that continually conspires against them with increases in flight delays, packed planes, lost luggage, and cutbacks in food and service.

Gibbons and other geeks often chronicle their flights on the web. Here’s Gibbons’s video of the recent debut of United’s route from Washington, D.C. to Kuwait: