Taxes
 

What is the value of each ticket for tax purposes?

Thank you so much! Email has been sent.

I'm not a tax expert, but restricted J seat is selling for $3720, so I would guess the value of ticket is similar to that amount.

Wow! Now that is how to organize a DO! ;)

(Entry thankfully submitted & fingers crossed)

I'm actually speechless.

Thank you Randy, for a most awesome opportunity.

Good luck everyone! :D

I would love to go! I hope my entry is selected...

Thank you, Randy!!
 

I soooooo want to go to Paris!!!

1200 Euro = 2,021.50 today

I checked the site and couldn't find the 1200 Euro fare.

$2,638 is the cost for one-way biz, one-way prem+, which is what the winners will get.

Looks like it's the eastbound inaugural. Makes it even awesomer!

Very cool. A great way to get some good buzz going on OpenSkies with the inevitable blog reviews that would come from this. I know I'd be doing one...

ok so anybody holding rooms? i just looked at the spg site, its pretty darn expensive. anybody find some decent cheap rooms? k just held 1 night, 20th for one night at the Westin Paris if anybody wants to pick up the 2nd night, we can share. i have 2 single beds. this is, of course, the slim chance i win

I'm booked at the Paris Hilton on points, it was the only one that was available for points in the city (and now not available for both nights anymore). The ORY and CDG Hilton properties are also available. Paris is expensive, use points if you can!

I tried using Hilton points this morning & was told that the Paris Hilton wasn't available for award (well actually was told none of them were). Lucky, you must have gotten the last award for 2 nights at Paris Hilton! :mad: :p :D

I decided that much as I wanted to go that getting back from London at 2pm, taking the red-eye to NYC the same night, most of day lay-over for the start of the trip from NYC the next day so really tired even before the start of Paris, when both UA & Hilton were telling me no awards, was probably a sign I wasn't meant to go. Had UA & Hilton been available I would have said the opposite - that it was meant to be even if I was tired ;) Have fun everyone!

Cheers.

Awesome contest! Congratulations on TEN wonderful years!

Just goes to show we are true FTers ;-) I also immediately went first to check C&P and award availability on SPG and then checked Hilton.com next.

Edited: I actually found Cash & Points availability at the Westin Paris (8,000 Starpoints and $150 a night). There is a trick to finding this, though....... Search for both nights together and there's no C&P availability. But as 2 one-night reservations it worked. I even got the exact same room type for both nights so no idea why it didn't appear on a 2-nt search!

And of course I checked the cancellation policy ;-)

I'm on the phone with the Diamond Desk. Right now there are 4 rooms available on the Friday night at the Paris Hilton (Eiffel Tower) for a single night reservation. The Orly Airport Hilton is available the second night.

If you are Diamond there may be other options for you. ;)

What a nice thing to do for us! ^ :)

Thanks for the great offer - I will definitely make time to go if I win one of the seats over there!

Reserved Marriott Courtyard Paris Defense West - Colombes for 99 Euros per night, taxes included. Supposed to have good train access to downtown Paris. Here's hoping I get to go.

How many points does she charge?:D

:p

Snagged a Cat 4 10K award at Le Meridien Montparnesse on Left Bank near St. Germain for Friday night; no dice on Saturday at the moment. Since the flight leaves on Sunday morning, you might want to camp out at the airport (or airport hotel) on Sat. night.

If I get greenlighted for the trip, am happy to take in a boarder!! If I get aced out of the trip, I can trade someone the room.

My goodness, Randy strikes again! Thanks again for letting us having such an awesome opportunity! ^

*keeping fingers crossed*

^^ Randy, You are a class act.

Yes, but that's one way. From the web site, it appears to be $6,470.57 round trip.

Again, we all need to know what the amount that will go on the 1099 is. Now one wants to wind up owing a $3,000 tax bill for two days in Paris. (On the other hand, maybe some don't care. :) )

The $6,570.57 is for unrestricted fare r/t biz. Randy's post says it is one way biz and one way prem+ and that fares to $2,638 on the dates of travel for the restricted fare.

Date & Time
BRITISH AIRWAYS
OPERATED BY HELI INTER RIVIERA

7002

JFK New York

Jun 19, 2008
05:30 PM

ORY Paris

Jun 20, 2008
07:25 AM

752

Business
I

MODIFY
BRITISH AIRWAYS
OPERATED BY HELI INTER RIVIERA

7001

ORY Paris

Jun 22, 2008
10:55 AM

JFK New York

Jun 22, 2008
01:25 PM

752

Business
I



Interesting to see who its ran by on aa.com site. Y is pricing out at 1299 , a bit cheaper than on ba s site. who is HELI INTER RIVIERA??

I believe they do / did helicopter tranfers from NCE to Monaco! I thought maybe they were a previous user of the 'EC' designator, but most lists seem to have 'EC' as some outfit in Uzbekistan.

OpenSkies (EC) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BA.

Wow, this is great!

Another reason why I'm happy to be a part of FT ^

thank you very much randy-a truly great offer (and here's to hoping i win as i can stay with my cousins in paris [one block over and one block up from the arch de triomphe).

yea i thought they were too. wonder why its coming up as them? maybe ba owns them too?

I'm guessing that aa.com is using an out-of-date look-up table when it tries to interpret the 'EC' designator.

Randy - ^
OpenSkies - ^

Thanks to Randy, FT and OpenSkies for the chance to see Paris!

Great promo ! However it would have been even better to split this event into TWO DOs: One in Paris and one in New York.

This would have given the European based FTers to participate too.
Send 10 FTers New York - Paris return and another 10 Paris - New York return at the same weekend.

Awesome promo! Thanks Randy, FT and OpenSkies!

thats a great idea

The value is questionable. They could charge $1 and view that as a inaugural sale. Airlines many times have cheap promotional fares - like $10 fares, etc. The later value that the ticket may sell for is not applicable. Class of service does not matter if the airline sells the ticket for $1.

Plus this could be viewed as a gift, under $12K. I believe this is a selection to give the ticket, not a lottery prize.

I do not specialize in tax law but I find the characterization of an airline ticket given by a business to an individual not previously known as a tax free "gift" to be somewhat dubious.

In any case, here's a better question, and, I am sure everyone would love to know this: how are the winners picked? Is this a lottery where every FT member has the same chance at winning?

They will print our emails, stack them up and randomly picked the 20 winners.

Phew .. good thing I used a pink background on mine!

Not likely. Every FT member probably won't send an e-mail, significantly reducing their odds of winning. ;)

I ran into Randy tonight at the *wood aloft party in Hawthorne NY and asked him this question.

Randy says... this is a tax free trip. @:-)
He went on to discuss that this was a freebee that he was passing along to 20 of his closest friends. He went on to say, that if anyone somehow got 'stuck' for the taxes, he'd shell out the dough. ^

dh