[jimworcs]

Judge!! wtf... most people havn't got the ability to email the CEO and ask for an upgrade as a staff perk.... !!

Peternh... I quite agree that the guy who didn't read the small print has only himself to blame..that was not my point. My point was that his "free flight" was more expensive than purchasing the same flight directly over the internet. The fees and taxes apply equally to both purchases so cannot explain the difference. It is simply a racket.

For very frequent flyers, there can be some minor advantages... priority boarding, upgrades and club access...but in reality, these are more than paid for in the ridiculously high prices charged.

The truth is, they are designed to distort the market and discourage frequent travellers from making rational purchasing decisions, based on convenience and price, but instead to purchase sometimes higher fares, or less convenient schedules in return for "perks" which are given to the individual and not the corporate who is paying for this nonsense.