Originally Posted by
Dr. HFH
I disagree. This was one of the best bargains in the sky. As I've said in other posts, I absolutely cannot figure out how they made money on my typical AONE3, coming in around USD$6K++. I'm surprised that the fares stayed as low as they did for as long as they did.
Even after this most recent increase, it's still a bargain. Even assuming no attempts to maximize mileage, an itinerary like JNB-HKG-LAX-DFW-BOS-LAX-LHR-JNB for USD$8K in F? Try pricing, say, JFK-LHR-JFK in F and see what it costs. AA.com is telling me that it will be nearly USD$9K.
But xONEx also have many restrictions which a full fare F ticket doesn't have. It is a very specialized product and can not be compared to a point to point fare.
I can fly from SYD to LAX and the on to LHR via FRA then BKK back to SYD with the LH segments in F for less than US$7k. An AONE4 would cost almost double that. Star Alliance has priced their RTW product ex Australia in a way that it has become un-usable. And OW is on its way to do the same thing.