I think the issue here is "rules and regulations" vs "the way things are done". What is important in FT discussions is that people understand how things work, rather than the specific letter of the law.

An airport may have a sign that says "Taxis are not allowed to pick up passengers at Departures. Drivers are subject to a fine." On FlyerTalk we may find that taxis pick up at Departures all the time and other than shooing them away, the authorities do nothing to enforce the law.

As a traveller, we want to be aware of local customs and laws but also in how things really work in that country. Imagine it 2002 and a couple is going to Miami for a weekend. They note that Florida still has laws forbidding sodomy (struck down in 2003). They call the hotel concierge and ask to understand specifically which acts are forbidden according to the law as they don't want to get arrested. The concierge says not to worry about it. The guest drops a note to the state tourism board and asks for an explanation of the law. They respond that there are several acts which are considered sodomy and are forbidden. The couple finds information on the internet which conflicts and seems to say that the laws aren't enforced. Not satisfied with the ambiguity, the couple has the concierge calls the attorney general's office and gets a response that sodomy is forbidden with a specific list of acts which are forbidden. The couple decide not to vacation in Florida, although there hadn't been any raids on hotels to catch people breaking the law.

Was it really necessary to know the law, or was it more important to know that while there are laws, nobody is going to come check on the couple in their hotel room.