Originally Posted by oklAAhoma
This has been discussed on FT many, many times.
You are correct that selling miles is not illegal in a criminal sense. It's not a felony, or even a misdemeanor.
However, selling miles is illegal in the sense that it is against airline rules. And condoning it is illegal in the sense that it's against FT rules.
From dictionary.com:
il·le·gal adj.
1. Prohibited by law.
2. Prohibited by official rules: an illegal pass in football.
3. Unacceptable to or not performable by a computer: an illegal operation.
Alright.
Selling your miles is still most certainly not illegal. Being against airline rules (or FT rules, as you seem to want to go there) is not enough to make something illegal. And yes, I read definition #2 that you pulled from dictionary.com. But I'm not sure if being on dictionary.com is enough for me.
From the OED:
"A. adj.
1. a. Not legal or lawful; contrary to, or forbidden by, law.
1626 [implied in ILLEGALNESS]. 1639 FULLER Holy War II. viii. (1647) 54 Gibellinus..concluded the election of Ebremarus to be illegall and void. a1654 SELDEN Table-t. (Arb.) 75 In all times the Princes in England have done something illegal, to get money. 1769 Junius Lett. xxxv. 166 They have set aside a return as illegal. 1817 W. SELWYN Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 925 Intended for carrying on an illegal commerce. 1855 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. xxi. IV. 605 To print such a tract without the approbation of the licenser was illegal.
b. Lawless, irregular. Obs. rare.
1728 R. MORRIS Ess. Anc. Archit. 20 How preferable the Beauties of ancient Architecture are to the illegal Practices of our modern Builders."
Find me something from the OED or Black's and then I'll reconsider.