[vinceguidry]

> And Avis is paying the airline for the points, so the airline wins no matter what happens — it's a billion+ dollar profit center for them.

Well, they usually have corporate sales reps hammering out the particulars for big promos like this. Avis is certainly paying the airlines something, but as the size of the buy is enormous, they're going to get somewhere south of the wholesale price on the miles. Both parties therefore are eating the cost of the abusers.