Cheapest starting points for XONEX
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Bath, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 1,002
Cheapest starting points for XONEX
Hi All, long time since I have ventured onto flyertalk (my bad) - am trying to find out where I can find the cheapest starting points for an XONEX. I have tried the www.wandre.me/RTW but see that it no longer has fares displayed. Have spent the last hour trying to find information and used the search but cannot find anything recent. Can anyone point me in the right direction.
Thanks
W
Thanks
W
#2
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,639
ExpertFlyer.com provides the base fares although one time I was caught out because the AA fares hadn't caught up with a recent increase. Just enter candidate cities you're willing to travel to, remembering to specify the purchasing city to match the starting and ending airports. (Be sure starting and ending airports are the same - that triggers the RTW price lookup.)
Note that 'best starting point' depends on the class of travel you select and usually to a lesser extent the number of continents.
Note that 'best starting point' depends on the class of travel you select and usually to a lesser extent the number of continents.
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
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Here are a few:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20967855-post10.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20967855-post10.html
#4
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Programs: AA 4MM EXP; Starwood Lifetime Plt
Posts: 2,498
It seems to me that the fact of the matter is that nobody knows any longer what "the cheapest starting points for an XONEX" are. Isn't that why oneworld removed the relevant data from its website in the first place? I am not a computer expert, but it seems to me that the data entry format on experflyer.com is too complicated for large scale data gathering, although it can be used to check specific starting points. Some of the old favorites, i.e. JNB, remain good candidates. Beyond that, I would be pleasantly surprised to hear about a reliable source of information.
#5
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: QF Gold LTG (ow Saph), HHon Silver, Marriot Gold
Posts: 2,927
ajnaro,
There is no single source anymore. ExpertFlyer is probably the best one.
In the last few years a number of the cheapest points including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa and Sudan have increased substantially, I suspect in part due to publication on this forum.
But it is all relative. The cheapest xONEx is a combination of
- the cost of the xONEx, your cost to get there, restrictions introduced by starting point (eg country of origin) based on your routing, the cost and difficulty in making the booking.
There is no single source anymore. ExpertFlyer is probably the best one.
In the last few years a number of the cheapest points including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa and Sudan have increased substantially, I suspect in part due to publication on this forum.
But it is all relative. The cheapest xONEx is a combination of
- the cost of the xONEx, your cost to get there, restrictions introduced by starting point (eg country of origin) based on your routing, the cost and difficulty in making the booking.
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,030
And most importantly the airline you choose to issue the ticket (usally the airline of the first flight) Some airlines like BA, QF & MH? will add on significant fuel surcharges
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Jul 26, 2013 at 7:32 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
I am not a computer expert, but it seems to me that the data entry format on experflyer.com is too complicated for large scale data gathering, although it can be used to check specific starting points.
Some of the old favorites, i.e. JNB, remain good candidates. Beyond that, I would be pleasantly surprised to hear about a reliable source of information.
India and Sri Lanka are quite cheap with the base fares, but the taxes added for departing from there (especially in D or A) makes it not worth it.
New Zealand is quite cheap for LONEx's.
#9
I can't get ExpertFlyer to pull up any DONE3 fares. There are DONE6s, DONEWC3s etc. but not DONE3s.
I never understood that argument.
As an Australian, I can access a foreign website and get a price on a good or service that is pre-tax. The US is obviously the perfect example, where taxes are added last. I can never work out why the oneworld website was so different. Furthermore, if for some reason it did have to display an all inclusive price, surely the site could have quoted a basic itinerary, noted such and stated 'From AUDx'.
No. The most likely reason the data was pulled off the oneworld site is a legal one. The fares shown on the site were base fares without taxes etc. Displaying prices in such a manner is illegal in many parts of the world. (eg, If a shop in Australia tried the "marked price + tax" as is done in the US, it would be viewed as misleading advertising and the ACCC would get involved). Oneworld would have been legally required in many places to display the full price charged. As that can't be done without knowing the routing and class, the raw base prices were taken down.
As an Australian, I can access a foreign website and get a price on a good or service that is pre-tax. The US is obviously the perfect example, where taxes are added last. I can never work out why the oneworld website was so different. Furthermore, if for some reason it did have to display an all inclusive price, surely the site could have quoted a basic itinerary, noted such and stated 'From AUDx'.
#10
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: BA Gold, QF WP
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#11
I'm sure it's something simple. I've only had the premium EF service for a couple of days and I'm still finding my way.
#12
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
As an Australian, I can access a foreign website and get a price on a good or service that is pre-tax. The US is obviously the perfect example, where taxes are added last. I can never work out why the oneworld website was so different. Furthermore, if for some reason it did have to display an all inclusive price, surely the site could have quoted a basic itinerary, noted such and stated 'From AUDx'.
The oneworld booking tool was able to sell tickets out of Australia. As such, taxes are required to be shown in the price.
The tool does show the total price - once a route and class has been chosen.
#13
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: used to be PER, now it's nowhere/eveywhere
Programs: QFF NB, AA GLD
Posts: 3,467
Ahhh, yes. I'd forgotten about the minimums. However, I still can't get it to show a DONE3 from a number of northern hemisphere cities, I still can't get it to list. For example, here's what I see (alphabetically) for DXB: http://imgur.com/wnsnulp
I'm sure it's something simple. I've only had the premium EF service for a couple of days and I'm still finding my way.
I'm sure it's something simple. I've only had the premium EF service for a couple of days and I'm still finding my way.
but the way you've framed your query results in many many results (all airlines, all fares - including Star Alliance and SkyTeam)
Reduce the number of results by specifying just one Oneworld Airline in the Airline(s) field and enter D in the class code field
Edited to add: just tried the search with no parameters - lots of fares returned, and you're right DONE3s do not show - neither do DONE4s and DONE5s; perhaps there's a restriction on the number of fares returned? (I'm a newb to expertflyer too
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: BA Gold, QF WP
Posts: 12,551
Ahhh, yes. I'd forgotten about the minimums. However, I still can't get it to show a DONE3 from a number of northern hemisphere cities, I still can't get it to list. For example, here's what I see (alphabetically) for DXB: http://imgur.com/wnsnulp
I'm sure it's something simple. I've only had the premium EF service for a couple of days and I'm still finding my way.
I'm sure it's something simple. I've only had the premium EF service for a couple of days and I'm still finding my way.
#15
DONE3 will show
but the way you've framed your query results in many many results (all airlines, all fares - including Star Alliance and SkyTeam)
Reduce the number of results by specifying just one Oneworld Airline in the Airline(s) field and enter D in the class code field
Edited to add: just tried the search with no parameters - lots of fares returned, and you're right DONE3s do not show - neither do DONE4s and DONE5s; perhaps there's a restriction on the number of fares returned? (I'm a newb to expertflyer too
but the way you've framed your query results in many many results (all airlines, all fares - including Star Alliance and SkyTeam)
Reduce the number of results by specifying just one Oneworld Airline in the Airline(s) field and enter D in the class code field
Edited to add: just tried the search with no parameters - lots of fares returned, and you're right DONE3s do not show - neither do DONE4s and DONE5s; perhaps there's a restriction on the number of fares returned? (I'm a newb to expertflyer too