RTW ticket questions

Old Apr 9, 2015, 2:16 am
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2
RTW ticket questions

Hi,

I'm planning to go on a RTW trip for about a year starting October. Among other issues regarding the flight tickets I'm not sure whether to use and RTW ticket by "Star Alliance" or book separate flights as I go.

I'm planning to visit some pacific islands (Samoa & Tonga then continuing to the USA) and wanted to know if someone has experience using a "Star Alliance" RTW ticket for this purpose.

Since the RTW ticket price is calculated by miles (only an estimation of the price ticket is given in the website) then stopping in those islands shouldn't be much different then booking a Australia->USA direct ticket. The fact is that air-travelling around the pacific is very expensive so I'm not sure whether the ticket price estimation given in the website is even remotely close to the final price. Any advise will be much appreciated.

In Addition Star Alliance states that "dates of flights can be changed with no additional cost". Does anybody have experience with this issue ? it seems a bit too promising.

Thanks
Yuval
yuvalg1987 is offline  
Old Apr 9, 2015, 8:30 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Stuck on this planet - mainly in STR and LAX
Posts: 5,019
Welcome to flyertalk!

Just some answers:
- You need to find flights on Star Alliance carriers - not many options in the south pacific. Check the staralliance website for possible routings.
- You are limited by the number of miles total, number of coupons (16) and some others (like crossing the pacific and the Atlantic once and ending up in the same country/area (the rules are more specific, this is just as a starting point).
Date changes are possible at no cost as long as there is space in the respective booking class. Sometimes this can be difficult to find, even if the flight has lots of seats for sale.
- The price the staralliance website gives you is accurate, the fares are good when you make use of many stops and use up the coupons and miles. This can be significantly cheaper than multiple one ways, especially in premium classes. If you have a relatively simple itinary with not many stops one way tickets are often cheaper.
Do a search in this forum and you will find much more detailed information.
Unterwegs is offline  
Old Apr 9, 2015, 11:11 am
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2
Thanks for the quick answer. I've already did some research on this subject but still have several concerns:
1. What if the flight on the new date costs more that my original flight ? Do I need to pay the difference between the price of the flights?
2. For now it seems that the price i'm getting using star alliance is significantly higher that using multiple one ways. I tried to optimize my route to direct flights but still big difference. what are the coupons you mentioned ?
yuvalg1987 is offline  
Old Apr 9, 2015, 3:27 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Stuck on this planet - mainly in STR and LAX
Posts: 5,019
Originally Posted by yuvalg1987
Thanks for the quick answer. I've already did some research on this subject but still have several concerns:
1. What if the flight on the new date costs more that my original flight ? Do I need to pay the difference between the price of the flights?
2. For now it seems that the price i'm getting using star alliance is significantly higher that using multiple one ways. I tried to optimize my route to direct flights but still big difference. what are the coupons you mentioned ?
1. It does not matter what single tickets cost. You pay for the RTW ticket and as long as you don't change your first (international or intercontinental - not sure from memory) flight the price stays the same. You have one year from the first flight to finish the ticket, You can even change the routing for a fee, the ticket price still stays the same but taxes etc could change.

2.
Coupons are the flights. You have a max of 16 flights (= coupons) if you don't have a ground sector.
Unterwegs is offline  
Old Apr 22, 2015, 8:12 am
  #5  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Where my head rests (presently MIA)
Programs: UA, AA, DL, SW, JB, Spirit; Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 111
Originally Posted by yuvalg1987
I'm planning to visit some pacific islands (Samoa & Tonga then continuing to the USA) and wanted to know if someone has experience using a "Star Alliance" RTW ticket for this purpose.
Your main carrier on *A in the South Pacific is Air New Zealand (in the North Pacific United has taken over Continental's former routes)... the problem is that NZ has frequently done away with their "island hopper" service and now seems to route nearly all flights as non-stops through AKL such that you will burn up miles quickly. In the past you could stop over in Tahiti PPT en route to LAX but now only Air Tahiti Nui (non-bookable on *A RTW) connects. Another option is to have an open leg between Pago Pago in American Samoa and HNL in Hawaii and use a one-way Hawaiian Airlines ticket to connect PPG-HNL and continue to USA.

Good luck. I'm in the same situation now with planning South Pacific travels and find that you can also purchase NZ airpasses that give you credits on a number of flights in the South Pacific, if you are willing to use AKL as a base, making the flights much more affordable.

Also bear in mind with date changes that many Pacific Islands have a very sporadic flight schedule, with more remote islands only having flights once or twice a week, so if you are SCUBA diving, you must take great care to coordinate your layovers and stopovers (e.g. sometimes giving you the choice of one night VS six nights).

Good luck and have fun!
Marquis790 is offline  
Old Apr 23, 2015, 9:50 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: AC SE, SPG Lifetime Plat, ACMM
Posts: 3,535
If you plan to travel in the Pacific Islands you may want to check out the Circle Pacific fares...these are cheaper than RTW and you can use the miles for the Pacific region.
ac777 is offline  
Old Apr 26, 2015, 8:15 am
  #7  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA Plat 2MM. DL Plat, AS MVP
Posts: 12,742
Originally Posted by ac777
If you plan to travel in the Pacific Islands you may want to check out the Circle Pacific fares...these are cheaper than RTW and you can use the miles for the Pacific region.
If starting in North America, the circle pacific is much cheaper ex YVR than the U.S.
zrs70 is online now  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.