bostonchef:

With all due respect, kindly advise at which establishment you practice your skills. With such sentiments, one might be wise to cast an askance look when we are advised on the menu that the fish or meat is really truly yfresh and/or that it is really veal that we will be eating.

Sheesh. Of course, you can't faul't an individual's persistence.

Moreover, I don't fault the FT who does the self-service check-in to ease his way and with the side benefit of getting the FF miles. That is a one shot deal that the airlines could fix if they have not already done so, but still, it is one shot at doing so while doing something legitimate, and not a repeated series of attempts whose sole aim is to obtain something that you are clearly not entitled to having.