Originally Posted by eponymous_coward

What is the value of research provided by a graduate student to their academic sponsor, who's trying to stretch grant money?

OP is flying someone who is an employment relationship to themselves and obviously expects "hey, please help me with my research" as part of the deal. Seems like a a quid pro quo to me; wouldn't you fire a research assistant who wasn't being helpful and doing the job you hired them for?

Personally I wouldn't do it because giving someone a ticket really means GIVING a ticket, not "here, fly on my miles and do stuff I tell you to as a condition of continued employment"- which isn't giving anyone anything. The above board thing to do is pay for it out of the grant money.

Might not get caught doing this, but this doesn't at all seem like someone "giving" their miles away.