No, that's not what it means. "Special" means to was written by someone who's a freelancer rather than Globe staff, and "Opinion" means that it's opinion/analysis rather than news. While some of his analysis may be sloppy and overly positive on the changes, an advertorial wouldn't include the phrase "Although it may seem like a cash grab".

Keep in mind that he's not writing for people on FlyerTalk, he's writing for Globe readers, who are likely unsophisticated about FFPs and may be more likely to be among the beneficiaries of this change.