Consumer or airline: who owns frequent flyer miles?
That’s a question Brad Carey, owner of Tahuya-based Carey travel, has been asking for a long time now.
And Carey’s fight isn’t over yet. He wrote an email recently to say that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments from both he and Alaska Airlines in late August.
A U.S. District Court Judge ruled in 2009 that Carey isn’t allowed to buy and sell airline miles, because the airlines ban the practice under no uncertain terms in their user agreements.
Each side had 15 minutes to make an argument before three judges, who then get to ask some questions.
The court hasn’t yet made a ruling, but Carey is optimistic.
“We are confident we will receive a favorable ruling several months later,” he said.
I’ll keep you posted.
