"It took a decade for Michael Sommer to earn more than two million frequent-flier miles on United Airlines. It took a single dispute over a ticket refund for him to lose his elite status, dozens of flight coupons and every last mile he had collected.

How did Mr. Sommer, a technology consultant from Jacksonville, Fla., get all of his points confiscated? Like an increasing number of frequent fliers, a majority of them business travelers, his mileage account was subjected to a secret audit by his airline. He says he learned of the review only when he checked in for a recent flight to Buenos Aires.


"I was ambushed," he said. "I was about to board the flight when a United Airlines supervisor at the gate said, 'We have something for you.' He handed me a letter that said I had been stripped of my status and miles as the result of an audit."[Via nytimes.com]