FB Award Taxes
 

I am looking to transfer Amex MR points into FB to book an award for BOS-FCO-BOS. When searching for availability...at the "select your flight" stage an all-DL outbound shows 25K miles + taxes of $21.70. On the return I see an option for 25K miles + $302.62 taxes on KL-DL flights. However, on the next "Trip Overview" page, payment details shows 50K miles +$96.23 taxes. Is this correct? Don't feel like transferring points to find $300 in taxes.
Thanks!

Yes, this is correct. If you can avoid KL/AF metal, and stick only to DL, you will not be charged fuel surcharges or high taxes. If you use KL/AF metal, you will have to pay much, much higher taxes.

Thanks! Was much easier to find availability on FB than through SkyMiles and 10K miles cheaper too. Now if Amex would just run a little bonus....

You won't have to pay the 302.62$ tax for return trip.
What happens is something I explained a few years ago : AF/KL award booking engine is based on Flex Pricer (a product developped by Amadeus) using one way combinable mode, which means that each segment is priced separately.
- For the BOS-FCO part, you don't have the fuel surcharge filed a YQ (as this flight departs from the US and FB does not add a Q surcharge in Miles for FB fares) ;
- For the FCO-BOS part, you have the fuel surcharge as a YQ (~280$ if I remember correctly).

However, when you reach the "Trip Overview" page, the whole itinerary is priced (itinerary mode vs owc mode). As your journey originate from the US, YQ can't be applied, even for the return segment.