First of all, thanks to Centurion and richardd for discussion of the potential audit issue. I hadn't considered that at all--getting matters I hadn't considered raised is one of the reasons I posted my initial query to begin with.
Similarly, jbalmuth, thanks very much for the scrutiny of the offer. (What is YQ?) I just tested at the BA site what the surcharges would be for a revenue September 2010 C class trip from SFO to Athens, and came out with $371 per head--high, but not extraordinary. In view of your analysis, am I missing something here?
Originally Posted by
jbalmuth
I advise that you to read the T&Cs of that offer very, very carefully (before starting the $30k spend). It has some very onerous restrictions (i.e. all travel must be on BA metal, full taxes and outlandish levels of YQ are payable for both passengers, and travel must originate in the U.S.). You'll typically be spending more cash on these "free" tickets than any other airline charges for RT coach travel to London (all BA U.S. departures go to London). The best use of BA miles for NA passengers are typically on its partners (CX to Asia, QF to SWP, LA to S. America), but these routes are all excluded from the offer.... During periodic sales, RT BA business class to London can often be had for $1,000 + tax, so the potential "savings" from this offer may really only be around that amount. YMMV.