Well actually it isn't easier in my case because the departure date of my first segment is March 3, 2010 and I want to purchase before April 12, 2009 to take advantage of the 10% off sale. Therefore the earliest I can book the first 2 segments is on April 8, 2009 (329 days), then I have to get it priced and purchased before April 12, 2009. The remaining 14 segments will be open dated since I don't think there are enough random dates between March 3, 2010 and March 7, 2010 to book them, and that doesn't even allow for the delays in pricing we have been hearing about in other threads. I also want to book through AA, not CX, for additional savings as discussed here repeatedly, and since my impetus for booking this RTW trip is a diving trip to the Maldives on a specific date (yes I know the closest I can get is CMB), but J fare on UL from CMB to MLE is only 355.60. I have always wanted to check out Toronto so I plan on being there Friday April 10 to Sunday April 12. I kill 2 birds with one stone, a visit to Toronto and the purchase of a very affordable AONE3. So as you can see the reasons are numerous, and as a result I think the plan I came up with is the best solution under the circumstances although I am welcome to other suggestions if they work within those parameters. BTW, the Maldives trip has to happen between March and May 2010, so this is the absolute earliest possible date. I still need to check on a few things before I can even etch these dates in stone.