You win because te US prohibits the fuel surcharge tactic from being used by its carriers. They just charge extra for everything else, from a drink to checking bags. But the fuel surcharge isn't there, so rewards issued from the US reflect only "real" taxes that are paid to a 3rd party, and not random "fees" that seem to get lumped into the same liine item everywhere else.

The fuel surcharge specifically of all these fees may prove to be the downfall of the loyalty programs. When the reward ticket can cost almost the same as the revenue seat, as recently was discussed for a bmi booking (GBP 32 for revenue or 3000 points plus GBP 29 in taxes/fees/etc.) then the system is broken. It basically takes away any incentive to use points for an economy ticket and then the only value in the program is long-haul up front, where the surcharges are still high. I'm waiting to see a J or F ticket with a $1000 base fare and a $5000 fuel surcharge on it.