By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | April 4, 2005
Airlines are stepping up scrutiny of Internet auction sites where savvy consumers and frequent business travelers are selling and bartering free vouchers, miles, and other airline awards.
In recent months, hundreds of deals for airline vouchers have appeared on eBay and on Craigslist sites across the country, including Boston. Now, these tickets are being offered at even lower prices as some of the bigger promotions with American Airlines and United Airlines that promised free flights across the country or around the world are set to expire.
"I travel a lot for work, have zillions of miles and vouchers, and I could never use them in my lifetime," said Tony Lito, a Worcester marketer who received two World Series tickets last fall from a couple who wanted the airline vouchers to honeymoon in Bali. "This is a perk you've earned. Why should you not benefit somehow?"
The airlines don't agree. American Airlines and other carriers say they are increasingly monitoring Internet sites and handing out punishments for the sales of rewards that are explicitly prohibited. Facing stiff competition and high oil prices, financially struggling airlines say they cannot afford to have their own customers undermine award programs and profits.
Although airlines often allow awards to be transferred for free to family members and friends, selling the tickets for cash or bartering them for other products, such as tickets to a U2 concert, is strictly forbidden.