In May 2026, a federal court of appeals handed Flight Options (now an affiliate of fractional operator Flexjet) a victory in a long-running dispute over federal excise tax on fractional-program fees. The IRS sought payment of $39 million (which included interest and penalties) for Flight Options’ failure to collect 7.5% federal excise tax (FET) on fractional program monthly management fees (and membership fees for a now-defunct jet-club program). It’s important […]
In a news release dated March 28, 2025, the FAA announced that it has implemented new privacy protections for aircraft owners. Section 803 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 added Section 44114 to Title 49 of the U.S. Code, which mandates the FAA to establish a process for aircraft owners and operators to withhold the registration number of an aircraft from “broad dissemination or display” for noncommercial flights of […]
Kevin Austin went to work in the aviation industry nearly 50 years ago running tours, mopping floors and emptying garbage cans at Boeing’s 747 manufacturing facility while going to school at night. He later negotiated aircraft purchase agreements with the world’s airlines. He then attended Stanford Law School and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business where he focused on international transactions, tax strategy and securities law. For the last 25 years […]
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