oneworld - Need help with my 1st RTW – DONE4

Brief background:
- Planning for next summer (July-Oct = total length of RTW trip).
- Read a great deal in this forum (but still have lots of room for improvemmnt).
- No prior RTW experience, though have been to all planned continents.
- Have Citi AA VISA cc
- Platinum in Starwood & Marriott programs
- Ex SFO (flexible to consider other places, such as ICN etc…; if savings warrants.
- Have hashed out a rough itin on oneworld web site (with 2 red flags, however). See below.

Wish lists:
1. maximize accumulation of AA miles (currently AA-Gold; member of no other airlines)
2. Handful of places on MUST-DO list: HKG, NRT, SYD, MEL, LHR, FCO, HEL, IST
3. Want to be on A380 on a looooong flight (hoping SYD-LHR will suffice)
3. Here is my itin (with red-flags being in PER & MEL)
SFO-HKG-NRT-BKK-KIX-SIN-PER-MEL-SYD-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-JFK-YVR-SFO

Questions:
Please tell me how I can maximize flight segments in Australia (without breaking rules). Clearly, in the above itin, I violated something re PER-MEL-SYD segments.

Please advise which airline(s) and flights to avoid (mile credits & comfort factor).

Please help improve my North America itin. I’ve tried YVR-ORD; YVR-DFW to no avail (even though the map shows “green” squares for both. (with the understanding of 1 trancon & up to 5 segments)

Appreciate your sharing.

PER-MEL-SYD is fine, you just can't* have MEL-PER-SYD

If you are simply looking to maximize distance you can do SIN-SYD-CNS-MEL.

There's not much more you can do with Europe, you have done well there.

There's no eligible west coast service YVR/SEA-SFO; AA codeshares on AS for these. Substitute MIA for YVR and you get this for 44890 base miles:

SFO-HKG-NRT-BKK-KIX-SIN-PER-MEL-SYD-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-JFK-MIA-SFO

Here's a routing using FCO-ORD that visits your 'must do's' that earns 48,409 base miles:

SFO-HKG-NRT-DPS-NRT-SYD-CNS-MEL-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-ORD-SEA-ORD-SFO

*(There are some exceptions but are not applicable to your routing)

Should be no issues with the Australian routing,
maybe the red flags have something to do with bad dates or misconnection timings

Australia is similar to the US in that you can only do one transcon. ie can't do SYD-PER-MEL, although you can do SYD-PER-ADL/AYQ-MEL

IF you fly SIN-SYD/MEL then the above, then SYD/MEL-LHR you can get two trips on the A380 (although you are adding a segment)


From a mileage-run perspective, you are also not taking advantage of the F upgrades in the US - you would have 6 US segments to maximise, but all depends on your objectives.

Here is another possibility

LAX-HKG-DEL-NRT-SIN-NRT-PER-SYD-MEL-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-ORD-SJU-LAX

52565 BIS miles.

The must do's conflict a bit with the goal of maximizing miles. Maybe you should consider doing some of them via cheap economy tickets (SYD-MEL $70 return) especially the ones in Europe and using the extra segment for longer travel. LHR-MCT comes to mind.

A couple of points to consider -

1. Maximizing your AA miles will be easier if you do the bulk of the trip as a Platinum member rather than a Gold, as you'll earn a 100% mileage bonus on flights with AA, CX, QF and AY flight numbers (also IB, RJ and LA.) You don't earn this bonus on JL, MA and BA-designated flights. You can earn it on AA codeshares on BA or JL flights when you're connecting to/from an AA flight.

2. Irrespective of the current (expiring) 10% discount on xONEx fares, the price of a DONE4 begun in certain European countries is up to US$2000 cheaper than in the US (of course depending on exchange rates.) As of now, for example, DONE4s begun in Sweden, Poland, Jordan or Israel are anywhere from $1800 - $2100 cheaper than ex-USA. Those savings could easily cover the cost of an access trip before and/or after (or you could use miles and pocket the difference in cash.) Because of the current Dollar:Sterling exchange, even DONE4s begun and ended in the UK are $1500 cheaper than in the US (which is a stunning reversal of the situation from just a year or two ago.)

3. There are pros and cons to this approach; obviously it's less convenient, and the rule about stopovers in the continent of origin reduces your freedom of movement (in Europe - but expands it in N. America.) However, you could combine your access trip to Europe to hit a couple of your "musts" en route, e.g. FCO or BUD, and free up segments for use elsewhere, in particular N. America and Oz/NZ, where not only are the segments longer, but the double mileage bonus is always in force. In general an xONEx is not the most cost-effective way of doing short-haul trips around Europe.

So my recommendation would be to originate in Europe after hitting a couple of your "musts." Sign up for the Plat Challenge (see the AA board if unfamiliar with this) before you leave the US and use your access trip and the RTW itself to confirm your Plat status, then let your Plat status leverage a lot of extra miles. Depending on your route, you could leverage an extra 30,000 redeemable miles off a 45,000-mile RTW itinerary (around 90K mi vs. 60K as an AA Gold member.)

Edited to add - if you don't need to return to N. America en route, you could earn a lot more miles by originating in Europe and substituting South America for North America, using an itinerary that goes Europe > S. America > Oz > Asia > Europe. There are lots of great longhaul segments possible in S. America, and Lan's service is simply excellent. The Plat challenge would be an issue (only EQP earned on AA metal or codeshares counts) but you could do it in a mileage run or two prior to leaving the US for your access trip.

Serfty, moa999, DownUnderFlyer & Gardyloo,
You guys are fantastic as usual on this board. This weekend I am consumed with matters that will prevent me from going online. Will digest all your suggestions and report back by Monday. That will also allow me to dig into the “what if scenarios” more.

Once again, I appreciate all your feedback. Thank you.

I will be back. Meanwhile, Fters, keep them coming!

PER-MEL-SYD is fine, you just can't* have MEL-PER-SYD

If you are simply looking to maximize distance you can do SIN-SYD-CNS-MEL.

There's not much more you can do with Europe, you have done well there.

There's no eligible west coast service YVR/SEA-SFO; AA codeshares on AS for these. Substitute MIA for YVR and you get this for 44890 base miles:

SFO-HKG-NRT-BKK-KIX-SIN-PER-MEL-SYD-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-JFK-MIA-SFO

Here's a routing using FCO-ORD that visits your 'must do's' that earns 48,409 base miles:

SFO-HKG-NRT-DPS-NRT-SYD-CNS-MEL-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-ORD-SEA-ORD-SFO

*(There are some exceptions but are not applicable to your routing)

Per my original itin: SIN-PER-MEL-SYD, SOMEHOW “red triangles appear in PER, MEL & SYD. Should I ignore that and move on to choose flights? I will try it anyway.

Thanks for the routing suggestion. Somehow, system would not allow SEA-ORD. ??:confused:

Should be no issues with the Australian routing, maybe the red flags have something to do with bad dates or misconnection timings

OK, I will check on that. I found this happens often when I played around with different itins.


From a mileage-run perspective, you are also not taking advantage of the F upgrades in the US - you would have 6 US segments to maximise, but all depends on your objectives.

I am aiming to max miles (but have relaxed on MUST DO list requirement). Any eligible upgrades will be gravy.
As for the US, I’ve softened by the fact I could always fly domestically when opportunities arise. I will take a hard look at the strategy offered by gardyloo and DUF.

Here is another possibility

LAX-HKG-DEL-NRT-SIN-NRT-PER-SYD-MEL-LHR-IST-BUD-HEL-FCO-ORD-SJU-LAX

52565 BIS miles.

More miles, love it! ^
How is the weather in August in DEL (trying to determine if stay a few days or not)



The must do's conflict a bit with the goal of maximizing miles. Maybe you should consider doing some of them via cheap economy tickets (SYD-MEL $70 return) especially the ones in Europe and using the extra segment for longer travel. LHR-MCT comes to mind.

I will focus more on just miles and relaxed on my MUST DO list as stated earlier. Excellent idea re MEL. I will do that to save a segment. Thanks.
Having read all the suggestions thus far on this young thread, I am going to modify my goals and focus on miles.

I do like the LHR-MCT itin, but seems like only BA flies non-stop. Please see below:

Not certain what my staus would be for next year, I have to be concerned about picking flights that offers less 100% mileage credit to my AA acct. Where can I find a chart (or info) that credits vs airlines program vs status?

Gardyloo,
Thank you so much for being so open to sharing your wealth of frequent fly knowledge, and particularly in dealing with OW RTW. Read many of your posts, you always spent time on strategic issues which frankly RTW newbies like myself wouldn’t even know how to post the question.

I was not aware that RTW fares could be so much lower when ex-europe (selected countries). That couples with your suggestion of doing some MR’s (to tie RTW (begin in Europe & ends in Europe) I went ahead and tried a dummy itin or 2.
Anyway, I like your diea of doing Europe > S. America > Oz > Asia > Europe. I am having problems however, in creating an actual itin ex-HEL (or LHR, PRG). E.g.:
HEL-IST-LHR-MCT-MAD-STO-SYD-PER-NRT-DPS-HKG-BOM-KIX-……….
So after only 12 segments at KIX, system shows DBX as the only “green square” but allows no selection of it. Funny, I can’t even get back to HEL from KIX. Where did I go wrong? Also MCT and MAD also show red-triangles.

Can you throw out a couple of itins ex-Europe? Thanks.

By next year, I have little clue as to what my AA status will be as biz travel slowing.
Per suggestion, I am also looking into doing couple of MR’s to Europe to boost status with AA. Major problem to overcome is time. That said, I checked into SFO-FCO for mid winter. Whether I will make plat or maintain gold remains uncertain.

Oh, upon re-reading my OP, I discovered a minor error.

I stated that I was“member of no other airlines. It should read “MEMBER OF # OF AIRLINES”. Tried to write short-hand for "number" and it totally .......ized the meaning. Sorry, not that it matters that much here. Among OW, I am a lowly member of CX & IB. UA 3p.

How is the weather in August in DEL (trying to determine if stay a few days or not)


Great if you enjoy temps in the mid 30's (C) and polluted air with humidity and a reasonable amount of rain.

Gardyloo,
Thank you so much for being so open to sharing your wealth of frequent fly knowledge, and particularly in dealing with OW RTW. Read many of your posts, you always spent time on strategic issues which frankly RTW newbies like myself wouldn’t even know how to post the question.

I was not aware that RTW fares could be so much lower when ex-europe (selected countries). That couples with your suggestion of doing some MR’s (to tie RTW (begin in Europe & ends in Europe) I went ahead and tried a dummy itin or 2.
Anyway, I like your diea of doing Europe > S. America > Oz > Asia > Europe. I am having problems however, in creating an actual itin ex-HEL (or LHR, PRG). E.g.:
HEL-IST-LHR-MCT-MAD-STO-SYD-PER-NRT-DPS-HKG-BOM-KIX-……….
So after only 12 segments at KIX, system shows DBX as the only “green square” but allows no selection of it. Funny, I can’t even get back to HEL from KIX. Where did I go wrong? Also MCT and MAD also show red-triangles.

Can you throw out a couple of itins ex-Europe? Thanks.

By next year, I have little clue as to what my AA status will be as biz travel slowing.
Per suggestion, I am also looking into doing couple of MR’s to Europe to boost status with AA. Major problem to overcome is time. That said, I checked into SFO-FCO for mid winter. Whether I will make plat or maintain gold remains uncertain.


...Handful of places on MUST-DO list: HKG, NRT, SYD, MEL, LHR, FCO, HEL, IST
3. Want to be on A380 on a looooong flight (hoping SYD-LHR will suffice)
First, you're very welcome. I think you'll find that this board has some incredibly knowledgeable people (way more than me) who take genuine pleasure in helping indoctrinate new victims - er, members into our goofy little sect/coven/asylum.

Ex-Europe itineraries that optimize your route/miles/etc. while hitting as many of your "must-do" locations? I can give it a whirl, others might do better. Couple of things, though: you can't re-enter the continent of origin until the end of the trip, and you can't leave the country of origin once re-entered. This makes the UK a bit problematic, since so many intra-Europe routes transit LHR. Second, you're only allowed two stopovers (24 h+) in the continent of origin. It's for that reason I'd suggest you hit a couple of your European "must dos" either before or after the RTW. If you travel to Europe on a Oneworld carrier, you can use the Oneworld Visit Europe air pass (or some similar name) - see www.Oneworld.com - which can be fairly reasonable.

So, a couple of examples...

Non-RTW access, example, SFO-xJFK-FCO-LHR-ARN

Sweden-based DONE4, avoiding N. America: I'll include the carriers between the city pairs - just my judgment as to which is preferable - others may disagree. BTW "x" means transit, "o" means stopover in continent of origin.

ARN IB xMAD LA SCL LA IPC LA SCL LA EZE QF SYD QF AKL QF MEL QF SIN CX HKG CX NRT JL SIN QF LHR BA oIST BA oLHR BA ARN. (Around 46K miles.)

Having Iberia issue the ticket may be problematic but ought to avoid BA's big fuel fines. I've added IPC (Easter Island) into the South America itinerary as it's very popular with RTWers; it's good for AAers because Lan gives elite bonus miles. I also added Auckland into the SWP itinerary because with 4 segments/continent in this itinerary (only N. America gets six) you need to use up the segments in each continent to get maximum value from the itinerary, and the "transcon" rule in Oz limits segment lengths there. Besides, I really like NZ :).

Here's a DONE4 originating in Europe and going through N. America, for considerably more miles than the S. America option cited above. Again, these routes are only indicative; your own preferences come into play.

ARN (AA) BA LHR AA LAX AA ORD AA ANC AA DFW AA SFO AA JFK CX HKG CX SIN JL NRT JL SIN QF SYD QF LHR BA MCT BA LHR BA ARN (around 57K mi.)

This one doesn't hit any of your must-dos in Europe, but adds Alaska and a stop at home in the Bay Area if you're inclined. In lieu of IST I added Muscat, which is a nice long segment in BA J and either an easy turnaround or an interesting destination on the Arabian Peninsula. Use the AA code on any BA flights whenever allowed in order to earn elite status bonuses.

If you wanted to originate in Poland you could substitute WAW for ARN.

Others can chime in...

Hello!

Just wanted to comment on two things from my experience - btw I too find that all the guys here on the OW forum are great.

Having Iberia issue the ticket may be problematic but ought to avoid BA's big fuel fines.

I once tried to book a LONE4 starting with a IB sector. Fuel fines were as high as with BA, if not higher. This was with the online tool, don't know if a IB ticket office will return lower YQs. You should try to have LA as first carrier and the YQ will drop to zero (maybe IB flights ARN-MAD carry the LA codeshare).

ARN (AA) BA LHR AA LAX AA ORD AA ANC AA DFW AA SFO AA JFK CX HKG CX SIN JL NRT JL SIN QF SYD QF LHR BA MCT BA LHR BA ARN (around 57K mi.)

In this case I'd start with ARN BA LHR BA MCT AA LHR AA LAX to have the AA code, and the bonus miles, on the longer MCT-LHR leg instead of the shorter ARN-LHR one.

I wish you a great journey!
Take care

Great if you enjoy temps in the mid 30's (C) and polluted air with humidity and a reasonable amount of rain.

That was my suspicion. I believe it is also monsoon season there too ??
Oh well that's part of the joy of flying! :D

I once tried to book a LONE4 starting with a IB sector. Fuel fines were as high as with BA, if not higher. This was with the online tool, don't know if a IB ticket office will return lower YQs. You should try to have LA as first carrier and the YQ will drop to zero (maybe IB flights ARN-MAD carry the LA codeshare).

Thank you for sharing.


In this case I'd start with ARN BA LHR BA MCT AA LHR AA LAX to have the AA code, ..........

My discovery re LHR-MCT return, please refer to my reply post to Gardyloo. I could not find AA codeshare here. What did I do wrong?

In this case I'd start with ARN BA LHR BA MCT AA LHR AA LAX to have the AA code, and the bonus miles, on the longer MCT-LHR leg instead of the shorter ARN-LHR one.
I wish you a great journey!
Take care
Of course ticketing it this way will mean higher fuel fines as BA will be issuing the ticket and the reason why Gardyloo recommended ticketing the ARN-LHR-LAX using the AA codeshare from ARN connecting to the AA transatlantic flight.

First, you're very welcome. I think you'll find that this board has some incredibly knowledgeable people (way more than me) who take genuine pleasure in helping indoctrinate new victims - er, members into our goofy little sect/coven/asylum.

Indeed I find them all here ^^. Thanks everyone for sharing.

Couple of things, though: you can't re-enter the continent of origin until the end of the trip, and you can't leave the country of origin once re-entered. This makes the UK a bit problematic, since so many intra-Europe routes transit LHR. Second, you're only allowed two stopovers (24 h+) in the continent of origin.


Here's a DONE4 originating in Europe and going through N. America, for considerably more miles than the S. America option cited above. ..

ARN (AA) BA LHR AA LAX AA ORD AA ANC AA DFW AA SFO AA JFK CX HKG CX SIN JL NRT JL SIN QF SYD QF LHR BA MCT BA LHR BA ARN (around 57K mi.)...[/QUOTE]

Love more miles! Even at the sacrifice of some must-do cities (as said, they can be done through access trips or pseudo-MR’s). Never been to MCT, but have heard good things about it. SO IST can be waived. Further, it is interesting that mid-trip, I can return home (SFO) and sleep in my own bed!. I had wanted to include ANC earlier routing attempt in vain. Now its there. Great time to be there in mid to late summer. I am a photo-buff, thus ANC is welcomed. I will work on this one. Thanks.

Together with your suggested non-RTW access: SFO-xJFK-FCO-LHR-ARN, boy, I really have to accum MORE time-off to be able to put this right before the RTW ex-ARN.

Questions re above routing:
1. Instead of DFW-SFO, can I do DFW-YVR-JFK? .Which carrier to go with for bonus miles for this leg YVR-JFK?) [NOTE: I may still go home to SFO from LAX as side trip; OW tool did not flag YVR-JFK].
2. Do I get bonus miles on JL as AA Gold?

As I am typing this post, I am also using OW routing map. Before even getting to choose flights, and up to segment 14 (LHR-MCT) and 15 (MCT-LHR), they both red-flagged. Tools would not allow me to go on further to complete LHR-ARN. What's wrong here?

Use the AA code on any BA flights whenever allowed in order to earn elite status bonuses

Absolutely, thanks for the heads-up.
However, when tried to choose flight for LHR-MCT (despite red-flag), only BA73 shows up and it is NOT an AA code-share flight. Am I reading it right? Does that mean 25% bonus miles only? The return MCT-LHR is BA72.
If I take RJ, it would take 2 segments each way (with connection in AMM).

At this moment, I am stuck in LHR. Technically 2 segments will be allowed in continent of origin. It does not seem to grant me even 1 segment. Any idea what’s wrong here?

I have been reading couple of other DONE4 threads for added ideas. Thank you all.

1. Instead of DFW-SFO, can I do DFW-YVR-JFK? .Which carrier to go with for bonus miles for this leg YVR-JFK?) [NOTE: I may still go home to SFO from LAX as side trip; OW tool did not flag YVR-JFK].
2. Do I get bonus miles on JL as AA Gold?

1. Yes. CX is the carrier for YVR-JFK, so bonus miles fine.
2. No. No bonus miles for any AA elite on JL. All you'll get is the 25% class of service bonus on top of the base miles. You'd get bonus miles if your JL flight is a codeshare carrying an AA flight no. (or any other OW partner's code provided the partner awards AA elite bonuses.)

However, I think I mentioned that you should sign up for the Platinum challenge so that as soon as possible you hit 10,000 EQP, 'cause from then on you'll get the Plat/EXP 100% mileage bonus instead of the Gold 25% bonus. Thus on, e.g., CX or QF flights (and of course AA) you'll get 225% of the miles flown in business class, e.g. YVR-JFK, and 250% in first class (e.g. DFW-ANC) - 100% base miles, 100% bonus, and 25% (business) or 50% (first) cabin bonus. This is why RTWs are so good for your mileage balances.

However, when tried to choose flight for LHR-MCT (despite red-flag), only BA73 shows up and it is NOT an AA code-share flight. Am I reading it right? Does that mean 25% bonus miles only? The return MCT-LHR is BA72.

Right. You can only use the AA code on BA flights when you're connecting directly off of, or on to, an AA metal flight, without stopover. So, e.g. you can use the AA code on BA 72 when your itinerary is MCT-xLHR-USA, with the LHR-USA flight on AA metal. Same thing going the other way.

Looking at the route, you might consider giving up the JFK-HKG leg on CX and substituting JFK-NRT on AA, connecting directly onto NRT-SIN, using the AA code on JL. You'd need to rework your Asia segments, but the AA Plat bonus on NRT-SIN might be worth the effort.

jerry a. laska is right - I put that route together to allow you to use the AA code on ARN-LHR, thereby trying to trick the online tool into letting AA issue the ticket. I don't know if the robot can be tricked in that regard, but the AA RTW desk, fine humans all, can easily set that up, thereby saving you hundreds of dollars in BA fuel surcharges.

The other reason I put the ARN-xLHR-LAX... itinerary together was to dissuade you from any stopovers at LHR outbound. A year or so ago I went CPT-xLHR-HEL-xLHR-xMCT-xLHR-LAX with only a hotel night in Helsinki splitting it up. (Couldn't leave the airport in Muscat due to pesky Israeli visa stamps in my passport.) I didn't want to stop over in London in either direction so I could avoid a couple hundred bucks in British Air Passenger Duty charges (big hit in J and F on longhaul departures from the UK, but waived for <24h transits.) I was shattered on arriving in LA - too many plane hours in too short a time. Your experience may vary, but it seemed to me like a high price to pay for around 3000 extra FF bonus miles generated by the AA codeshare on MCT-LAX. YMMV as we say.

At this moment, I am stuck in LHR. Technically 2 segments will be allowed in continent of origin. It does not seem to grant me even 1 segment. Any idea what’s wrong here?

I think you're hitting one of the many bugs rife in the online tool. There's a whole sticky thread above on this. I personally think once you've got an itinerary finalized (dates and all) you should

1. Post it here so we can kosher it (no dates) and
2. Phone the AA RTW desk, 1-800-247-3247 and have them book it. That way you can get the AA price, and the AA codes on your itinerary.

However, I think I mentioned that you should sign up for the Platinum challenge so that as soon as possible you hit 10,000 EQP, 'cause from then on you'll get the Plat/EXP 100% mileage bonus instead of the Gold 25% bonus. Thus on, e.g., CX or QF flights (and of course AA) you'll get 225% of the miles flown in business class, e.g. YVR-JFK, and 250% in first class (e.g. DFW-ANC) - 100% base miles, 100% bonus, and 25% (business) or 50% (first) cabin bonus. This is why RTWs are so good for your mileage balances.

Yes, the Plat challenge is part of the plan. What complicates matters a bit is that DW and I have to do the same challenge. She is not even Gold. Our main concern now is "how much time we can take off to fly around" ??:D


Looking at the route, you might consider giving up the JFK-HKG leg on CX and substituting JFK-NRT on AA, connecting directly onto NRT-SIN, using the AA code on JL. You'd need to rework your Asia segments, but the AA Plat bonus on NRT-SIN might be worth the effort.

I will keep this in mind. Thanks.

- I put that route together to allow you to use the AA code on ARN-LHR, thereby trying to trick the online tool into letting AA issue the ticket. I don't know if the robot can be tricked in that regard, but the AA RTW desk, fine humans all, can easily set that up, thereby saving you hundreds of dollars in BA fuel surcharges.

Note BOLD. How would I know that the online tool would allow AA to issue ticket? When flight is selected, it is BA.

The other reason I put the ARN-xLHR-LAX... itinerary together was to dissuade you from any stopovers at LHR outbound.

I got it ^

A year or so ago I went CPT-xLHR-HEL-xLHR-xMCT-xLHR-LAX with only a hotel night in Helsinki splitting it up.

That's awesome!


I personally think once you've got an itinerary finalized (dates and all) you should

1. Post it here so we can kosher it (no dates) and
2. Phone the AA RTW desk, 1-800-247-3247 and have them book it. That way you can get the AA price, and the AA codes on your itinerary.

Thank you for the hand-holding. I will do as recommended.

I am back.

Acknowledging current sentiment about best countries to originate a RTW includes but not limited to ex-ARN, ex-MCT, ex-WAW and ex-HEL. Here I am, after hashing out various itin possibilities, I now focus on these 2. Warning: Lots of rookie questions.

Itin 1 - ARN-LHRx-LAX- ORD-ANC-DFW-SFO-JFK-HKG –BOM-SIN-NRT-SYD-LHR-MCT-LHRx-ARN
FARE: DONE4 US$9,181 + $597.74 (taxes) = US$9,778.74 {I got this online without calling}
MILES before bonus (from milecalc dat com): 58,129 miles. {note: MileageMonkey shows 60,254 miles, and red-flags 2 segments (ORD_ANC; HKG_BOM) as no OW service.
Total segments = 16

Question 1: Is the above current and lowest fare available from AA and NOT from BA?
Question 2: Is milecalc give the most accurate mile count? I have used mileagemonkey also.
Question 3: re non-RTW access to ARN from SFO, how else can I leverage the Plat challenge (I am looking at calendar mid-year 2010)?

Itin 2 - MCT-LHRx -LAX-ORD-ANC-DFW-SFO-JFK-HKG-DEL- NRT-BKK-SIN-PER-SYD-LHR-MCT
FARE: DONE4 OMR3,250 {I got this online without calling; and think it is before taxes & surcharge, right??}; exchange rate 1 OMR = US$2.6008 {unsure if it is current??}
MILES before bonus (from MileageMonkey): 57,291 miles.
Total segments = 16
Fares = US$8,452.26 (using above exch rate)

Question 1. MCT-LHRx-ARN (BA flights only; can’t find AA codeshare); same true for last segment LHR-MCT. Does this prevent me from having AA to issue ticket? (think fuel surcharge & taxes of course.)
Question 2: How can I find out the EXACT fares plus all surcharges? (same Q for itin 1 as well)
Question 3: With Itin 2, can I have tickets issued by AA. (trying to avoid BA & its related taxes + surcharges)?
Question 4: re access trip to MCT, is this {SFO-DFW-LHR-AUH-MCT-AUH-LHR-LAX-SFO} the best in terms of miles & cost (RT fares about US$2,000 ai)?

General questions applied to both itins:
1. I often work on a new itin on different computers, is there a way to port itin from one computer to another, including all the already chosen flights?
2. What other items I need to address before I call the AA OW desk (e.g. possible seasonal discount; US greenback value etc…)?
3. When do you think I ought to ticket if my first segment takes place in May 2010?
4. What possible enhancement of above itins in terms of miles (more) and $ (less)?
5. Which site do you use for mileage calculation, milecalc, mileagemonkey or others? (OW site somehow does not show miles early in flight search stage, or am I missing something?)

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Thanks.

I am back.

Acknowledging current sentiment about best countries to originate a RTW includes but not limited to ex-ARN, ex-MCT, ex-WAW and ex-HEL. Here I am, after hashing out various itin possibilities, I now focus on these 2. Warning: Lots of rookie questions.

Itin 1 - ARN-LHRx-LAX- ORD-ANC-DFW-SFO-JFK-HKG –BOM-SIN-NRT-SYD-LHR-MCT-LHRx-ARN
FARE: DONE4 US$9,181 + $597.74 (taxes) = US$9,778.74 {I got this online without calling}
MILES before bonus (from milecalc dat com): 58,129 miles. {note: MileageMonkey shows 60,254 miles, and red-flags 2 segments (ORD_ANC; HKG_BOM) as no OW service.
Total segments = 16

Question 1: Is the above current and lowest fare available from AA and NOT from BA?
Question 2: Is milecalc give the most accurate mile count? I have used mileagemonkey also.
Question 3: re non-RTW access to ARN from SFO, how else can I leverage the Plat challenge (I am looking at calendar mid-year 2010)?

Itin 2 - MCT-LHRx -LAX-ORD-ANC-DFW-SFO-JFK-HKG-DEL- NRT-BKK-SIN-PER-SYD-LHR-MCT
FARE: DONE4 OMR3,250 {I got this online without calling; and think it is before taxes & surcharge, right??}; exchange rate 1 OMR = US$2.6008 {unsure if it is current??}
MILES before bonus (from MileageMonkey): 57,291 miles.
Total segments = 16
Fares = US$8,452.26 (using above exch rate)

Question 1. MCT-LHRx-ARN (BA flights only; can’t find AA codeshare); same true for last segment LHR-MCT. Does this prevent me from having AA to issue ticket? (think fuel surcharge & taxes of course.)
Question 2: How can I find out the EXACT fares plus all surcharges? (same Q for itin 1 as well)
Question 3: With Itin 2, can I have tickets issued by AA. (trying to avoid BA & its related taxes + surcharges)?
Question 4: re access trip to MCT, is this {SFO-DFW-LHR-AUH-MCT-AUH-LHR-LAX-SFO} the best in terms of miles & cost (RT fares about US$2,000 ai)?

General questions applied to both itins:
1. I often work on a new itin on different computers, is there a way to port itin from one computer to another, including all the already chosen flights?
2. What other items I need to address before I call the AA OW desk (e.g. possible seasonal discount; US greenback value etc…)?
3. When do you think I ought to ticket if my first segment takes place in May 2010?
4. What possible enhancement of above itins in terms of miles (more) and $ (less)?
5. Which site do you use for mileage calculation, milecalc, mileagemonkey or others? (OW site somehow does not show miles early in flight search stage, or am I missing something?)

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Thanks.I will take a crack at this; others may have different/better answers...

Specific questions -

Itinerary 1 -

1. Don't know - it's probably using the new (post 10% sale) fare from ARN. Subtract the fare shown on the OW website from the quote you've gotten (converting to SEK) and look at the "taxes" subtotal (opens in a new window.) If you see a scary big number next to YQ-fuel surcharges for BA, then it's BA issuing the ticket. If not, then maybe AA.

2. See answer below.

3. You need 10K EQP during the 3-month challenge period, using AA codes. Go to the AA or Mileage Run Discussion board for pointers on the challenges - you'll get plenty of help.

Itinerary no. 2 -

1. You can't use an AA code (most of the time) on flights that aren't connecting directly off of / on to AA metal flights. If you were going MCT-xLHR-LAX it would be easy; as far as I know no other airlines codeshare MCT-LHR with BA besides AA. 1b - AA will issue the ticket, no problem. You'll have to do it through humans rather than the web tool, however.

2. You'll have to (a) rely on the online tool, or (b) phone the AA RTW people and have them send if off to their tariff office in Ireland.

3. Yes, no problem.

4. Have a look at originating in AMM or TLV - I think you'll find those countries are now the "cheapest" European points of origin for DONExs.

General questions -

1. Can't say.

2. Nothing; just have your flights and dates pinned down. They need to assemble the whole shebang and send it off to their tariff people.

3. Depends on your currency risk tolerance. If paying in USD, the current times are pretty miserable. However, in the past there have been a couple of fare increases annually (different places at different times) one of which "traditionally" has been around late January - early February. No guarantees of anything of course. Also note the spot price of oil is heading up, so fuel surcharges are only likely to get worse in that environment.

4. Depends on where you want to go, and when. See (4) above.

5. I use the Great Circle Mapper (http://gc.kls2.com/). Mileage Monkey is also good.

Hope I haven't goofed up the order of questions/answers.

A couple of things to add to Gardyloo's comprehensive post.

Itn 1 Q1. Use the AY codeshare on the ARN - LHR leg to get the cheapest price. The taxes almost halved in my case.

General Qs. Q1. There is an option to save itineraries to your OW profile, but you need to register on the OW website. I haven't used this but I suspect this means it is stored on a OW database and can be retrieved from any computer.

Q5. I have found that the miles earned seems to be dependant on the FF program. For example a BA flight LHR-HKG pushing miles to BA earns a different number of miles than when pushing the miles to AA. From my experience I have not found that Great Circle Mapper and Mileage Monkey do not accurately reflect the miles you will earn on AA. However both seem to be within 20 or so miles usually, if not spot on. I haven't tried milecalc.

Gardyloo,

Thank you for being so organized in your reply. I value your expert opinion very much.

I have been reading the Plat Challenge thread as suggested, and have gained much insight and understanding. I decided to participate (with DW too) and achieve Plat before our RTW. In fact, I have a trip to BKK coming up (will take DW also) and will use it as part of Plat challenge. After doing some searches, decided to best do it from JFK via NRT to BKK. See my thread with this link (Post 157, I think)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-aadvantage/967395-help-desk-aadvantage-elite-status-challenge-gold-platinum-11.html#post12845094

I will look into an itin with ex-AMM, and see what is the fare for that.

Great Circle Mapper is great. Thanks for the link.

A couple of things to add to Gardyloo's comprehensive post.

Itn 1 Q1. Use the AY codeshare on the ARN - LHR leg to get the cheapest price. The taxes almost halved in my case.

General Qs. Q1. There is an option to save itineraries to your OW profile, but you need to register on the OW website. I haven't used this but I suspect this means it is stored on a OW database and can be retrieved from any computer.

Q5. I have found that the miles earned seems to be dependant on the FF program. For example a BA flight LHR-HKG pushing miles to BA earns a different number of miles than when pushing the miles to AA. From my experience I have not found that Great Circle Mapper and Mileage Monkey do not accurately reflect the miles you will earn on AA. However both seem to be within 20 or so miles usually, if not spot on. I haven't tried milecalc.

Do you mean using AY codeshare for ARN-LHR leg and still be able to have AA issue ticket (since connecting flight LHR-LAX is on AA)? I need to do a dummy booking to see what the real difference in fare is. Thanks for the heads-up.

Good idea about saving the itins on OW site. I will try that. Currently I save them on my desktop; and other times on laptop when away.

Do you mean using AY codeshare for ARN-LHR leg and still be able to have AA issue ticket (since connecting flight LHR-LAX is on AA)? I need to do a dummy booking to see what the real difference in fare is. Thanks for the heads-up.

Good idea about saving the itins on OW site. I will try that. Currently I save them on my desktop; and other times on laptop when away.

Yes. I was putting together a routing using the OW tool and realised that when I selected the AY codeshare on the ARN-LHR sector the taxes portion of the quote almost halved.

I did not get a price from AA as it seemed there would be little more, if any benefit from doing so.

I went ahead and purchased online and it was ticketed 3 days later by AY in HEL using the SEK price quoted by the tool.

I did note the other day that AY have since instigated a service fee of 50SEK (IIRC) which now shows on the OW tool quote page.

Yes. I was putting together a routing using the OW tool and realised that when I selected the AY codeshare on the ARN-LHR sector the taxes portion of the quote almost halved.

I did not get a price from AA as it seemed there would be little more, if any benefit from doing so.

I went ahead and purchased online and it was ticketed 3 days later by AY in HEL using the SEK price quoted by the tool.

I did note the other day that AY have since instigated a service fee of 50SEK (IIRC) which now shows on the OW tool quote page.

So, Moomba, we can soon be reading another fantastic trip report? :). Just to clarify, were you issued an e-ticket? And you had to give dates/flights for all16 segments?

So, Moomba, we can soon be reading another fantastic trip report? :). Just to clarify, were you issued an e-ticket? And you had to give dates/flights for all16 segments?

Give me a break. I haven't finished the last one yet. ;)

Yes e-ticket and all sectors with dates. However most of the dates will be changed as I am still planning my summer holiday.