But...it is common in the airline industry for agents to purposely fail to collect stickers/certs for upgrades. There was one US Airways agent at MCI always took one 800-mile certificate from me for MCI-DCA, a 930-mile flight. I always offered her two because I didn't want to take it for granted, but she always tore one off and handed it back. If I only had one cert on me I wouldn't request an upgrade...kinda felt guilty about it. Anyway, I don't regard failure to collect certs as stealing and I don't think that's just my human mind sinking to a low, low level. It's the way the airlines do business. (On the DCA end, they took two certs for the same 930-mile segment. CLT demanded two certs on an 807-mile segment, so I know there is no formal grace period built in to the certs.)

If you are lying about the certs you have or otherwise trying to game the system, then yes that's a different story. But in the OP's case, we don't know whether he was actively trying to game the system or exploit a loophole - or if the agent simply didn't take the cert from him.

The second part of the post - selling certificates - I have no problem with. I know the airlines do not like it. I do not sell my certificates, points, or miles because I like to use them. But I don't have an ethical problem with people who do, as long as they are candid about it. If somebody had a cert I needed, I would probably buy it off of eBay if I felt that was a good value.

Well if you're already guilty, I say you might as well use it.

Forgive me for not knowing all of this kind of thing, but am I to understand that there actually ARE factions out there that would actually say someone is wrong just for THINKING of doing something even if they never really go through with it?

I actually ran into that recently in another issue and I believe that is way to Nazi-like for me. I think someone can imagine or think of just about anything they wish to, but if some over zealous jerk comes along and tries to bust you just for coming up with it--or even publishing it--then where are we all headed? And in that case, yeah, use the cert because they'll bag ya anyway now that you brought it up! They'll track you down and source your name from this forum or something and then they will take your house and wife, and the next thing you know, you are out on the street begging for nickles, or worse yet, you may be writhing at the bottom of a smelly pit confounded to eternal perril as a half man, half dog beast much like what happened to the transporter executive in the last version of THE FLY movie with Jeff Goldbloom & Gina Davis or somethin'... (it was on cable last nite as I fell asleep thinkin' up with other wild sh*t)

MM

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. When you say you have a coupon, it is their job to collect it. I think it would be unethical to say you had it and then didn't, but then again you have to let your conscience be the judge. I wouldn't think it was a major worry if it happened. How many people have been bumped and re-routed and received elite qualifying miles when they were on a ticket that didn't give it. With the complex systems in place, it might do you more harm than good. If you show extra loyalty to the coupon's issuer, I think that is a good trade-off.