Ok, now that this is re-opened I guess I'll be the first to jump in the fray. You seem to dislike that money equals perks. I guess you must dislike the way a successful business is run then. Let's look at this example:

I am a business executive (doesn't really matter what industry). I have some "perk" that my company has to offer to a set of customers. I have customers who spend a lot of money with my company (who I would like to keep as customers). I also have some customers that choose only based on price, and maybe use my company once or twice a year. Who do you think that I should give perks to?

From a business perspective (which is what we need if we expect airlines to not go bankrupt) there is only one right answer. You reward your best (highest spending) customers.

We've determined that what you call "tacky" certainly does not have any question of legality, so I suppose it comes down to whether or not you like that perk. If you don't like that perk, then you should probably consider flying on an airline such as Southwest which does not offer it.

You want a nice little socialist utopia on your airline. Practicality and good business sense say that you have a terrible idea.

I would guess that you're probably one of the few who don't like the trip reports. I very much enjoy reading reports on other airlines products that I might not otherwise sample.