[SimonS1]

@canucklad – again not really sure what point you are making. There is a formal agreement which allows you to collect Avios from your spend at IHG hotels and this is publicised on BA website.

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/collecting-avios/hotels/intercontinental-hotels-group

However the Avios scheme rules specifically state that bartering or sale of miles is prohibited (see C3.2).

https://www.avios.com/za/en_za/about-us/terms-and-conditions#partc

So I’m not sure how the two things are comparable.

[travelworld2]

ChristopheL Yes, they do actually- see Avios clause B.6.3.(link above)

[SimonS1]

@christophe – yes the T&Cs for most airlines/schemes states that bartering, sale is not allowed. Any miles acquired by SkyLux that way are invalid. Therefore the tickets bought with them would also be invalid. No need to state anything else.

If I got my hands on some forged currency and used it to buy an air ticket, do you think the airline’s T&Cs would need to specifically state that tickets acquired with forged money are invalid?

[MrMichael]

SimonS1, spot on.

[christopheL]

Then the business of Skylux and other brokers selling award tickets is definitively a fraud as they know they are selling tickets which may be canceled by airlines. And neither the police nor airlines do anything to stop them running their business. Seems odd to me.

[MartynSinclair]

Whilst I am not prepared to go into what happened in my situation, but the police confirmed it was a civil matter and they were not interested in the company, but did deal with the threats made..

More tellingly though, there was a disputed balance which if existed, I suggested the company take me to court……….. guess what, they didn’t as they once confirmed, they couldn’t, hence the loutish behaviour and threats …

[travelworld2]

Under English law and, as an English lawyer, my view is that the Fraud Act 2006 would probably catch anyone trying to sell airline miles to a third party purchaser when they knew that doing so was in breach of the terms and conditions of the mileage scheme. Anyone doing so has to be dishonest, and have made a false or misleading statement and have intended to gain as a consequence of that statement. Getting the police interested in prosecuting it might be a different issue…

[MrMichael]

Travelworld2, thanks for your perspective as a lawyer.

I would hazard a guess that for law enforcent to take an interest someone would have to show a financial loss. It is more likely that trading standards (in the UK) would take an interest due to the potential for financial loss even though it is possible nobody has actually lost through the Skylux business model. It is complex as it could well be a UK person booking through a U.S. company travel on an SA carrier using a HK credit card. I would imagine in this day and age most slightly savvy people would book any travel with an agent through their credit card, and thus they become responsible and suffer the loss. On Skylux site they state they take the major cards……but for how long…..and Is it in their name or through a third party.

[MartynSinclair]

There are many sources for the airmiles “Grey Market”..

In the US Sunday papers there are loads of small adds offering to trade airmiles. These are generally not seen in UK papers (or that I have seen). In the situation I was in, the UK agent, had an arrangement with a US supplier who was a player in the “Grey Market”.

I think it is similar style of advertising to “adult services”… If presented in the correct manner, adverts accepted.. if not, rejected…

[SimonS1]

Interesting to log on to Flyertalk today and see adverts for SkyLux plastered all over it.

Funny how none of those one hit wonders ever came back to share their experiences….

[AudShar]

This company is a SCAM. AG is investigating them
DO NOT BUY FROM THEM.

[MartynSinclair]

Regarding the discussion on this thread about buying cheap air tickets through trading, buying, selling airmiles – I asked two airlines how they would consider such tickets…

Airline 1

“Thank you for your recent e-mail.

I have highlighted this with our Revenue team and they have advised the following.

Any redemption booking where the ticket(s), have been sold or exchanged, for value, the tickets are VOID.

Revenue Protection run, daily, several systems to detect such bookings.

Where such bookings are found, the tickets are voided and the booking cancelled, without notice to either passenger or member.

Thank you for bringing this to light. If you have the name of the travel agent we can forward this to the Revenue team.

I hope this helps with you query.”

Airline 2

Thank you for your enquiry.

“This looks to be a scam. A travel agent cannot sell mileage tickets as they don’t have this option. If they’ll use someone else’s miles, then this is a fraud case.

Can you please let us know the travel agent’s name please?”

So now we know from the airlines mouth…

[LuganoPirate]

Very interesting Martyn and thanks for the investigation. It will be interesting if there is any further follow-up.

[Beertogo]

I don’t really care how they do it. But it all works and works out great for me.
No company buys my ticket. It all comes out of my pocket.
SkyLux saved me about 12k last year alone.

[SimonS1]

Nice to welcome another newbie to the forum to give SkyLux a puff. I’m not sure anyone gets taken in by it though.

In fact it must be quite quiet at SkyLux as the folks at TripAdvisor have been working overtime removing similar promotional activities.

[Author]

Posts