As much as conniving like this is not something I would do, I must say that it's an interesting use of the rules. I daresay that companies will stand by their rules, sometimes to the detriment of the passenger. In this case, it's playing within the rules. Sneaky? Yeah, I'll give you that. Not dishonest, though. Low-brow to go to such lengths? Definitely. But not dishonest
Cheers.
People on the UA forum do it all the time. Some truly sneaky (and dishonest, see below) people actually PROPOSE it as a way to get out of cancellation fees.
I believe it is dishonest. The point of the rule is to aid those that are inconvenienced by a schedule change. In this case, the OP is actively seeking one to avoid a small fee he refuses to pay. It may be semantics, but I think it's dishonest.