Originally Posted by Efrem
Welcome to FT!
The airlines forbid anything like an arm's-length business transaction. They allow anything that's a personal arrangement between people with a prior connection. That's a bit of an oversimplification, the fine print varies from one airline to the next, but it's the basic idea.
AcnNWAPlatinum,
Most airlines allow us to give an award ticket as a gift, but not to sell or barter. In practice, if you use your miles for a ticket for your cousin & his workmate or sports teammate, the airline has no way of knowing what they did (not) give U in return. All that airlines can do and are doing is to crack down on Ebay & brokers advertising in newspapers & on Websites.
So UR fine & safe here! Just make sure that your giftees know something about U so that they sound like legitimate friends or relatives if ??ed.
Also, airlines find cash sales more offensive than barter for other awards, which I believe is the reason for the rules on our Coupon Connection--to fly under the radar of the airline employees who police this stuff.
.