This probably has been discussed, but for some reason the search function often poops out in IE5 for me...

While on hold with NW, there was an advert about donating miles so help "families in need" travel. Ha! Just about every time I fly (mid-week on cheapest fares) there are empty seats next to me. Am I the only one who finds this ironic?

Why do I donate my miles to an airline so that a seat that would fly empty anyway be given to someone "in need". The whole things seems like a caniving scam (in a humanitarian guise) to separate me from my miles. It doesn't seem possible for mile donation (to airlines) to be humanitarian.

Why do the airlines (whose job it is to transport people) put the responsibility of transporting people in need on the customers of the airlines. It seems backwards to me. Anyone else?

Is it just a way write off some taxes?