I don't think the term "barter" was what got her in hot water here- look on the "coupon connection" pages- people trade all the time. People even give lots away to other members of the community.
It was the fact that she showed up and asked a bunch of strangers for something for nothing.
Am I the only one who has had someone come up to them and ask them for $20 because "their car ran out of gas". People are constantly trying to take advantage of others' generosity. You have to watch your back in this world. That's the way it is.
She can have a bad impression if she wants, but I think Flyertalk is a greta place full of lots of great people. There have been a number of suggestions as to how she can get to HNL.