It's one thing if an airline (most likely inadverently) gives you extra miles. How about asking for miles we know we don't deserve?

- Airline A involuntarily reroutes you on B after a mechanical problem. You are a member of both programs. You arrive within minutes of the original schedule and receive B's miles for your flight. You then request A's miles for what you originally booked.

- Airline A has a bonus that you know is targeted to recipients of a mailing, such as a specific geographic area. You learn the code, perhaps from these boards. You register but do not receive the bonus. You call to complain.

Is this sort of thing ethically worse than leaving well enough alone when miles show up in your account for no apparent reason? Have many, perhaps most, of us been guilty of this at one time or another?

Thoughts? Comments?