This was a situation of openly advertising a mileage sale on the internet, in one of the more highly visible places at that for trying to sell things. Very different than giving a ticket away to a homeless guy or some random person at the airport and not asking for something material back for it.

As much as I dislike some of the ways of the airline programs, it’s important to recognize that some situations cause problems for customers redeeming miles in a way that other situations don’t.