I thought I had my air route figured out until I tripped over your forum. Wow there is so much going on here!
We are a family of 4 looking at a 1 year world trip with a departure of Sept 2011. YYC-ord-jfk-LIM-IPC-PPT-akl-SYD-MNL-hkg-HAN-BKK-AMM-CAI-MAD-lhr-YYC (lower case are cities we don't really want to stop in). In Peru, Australia and SE Asia we will probably need to purchase a few short-haul flights. We removed Tanzania as it appears easier (and no more expensive) to fly from Egypt on another carrier. I have been looking for a route that flies fairly directly but without any really long hauls. Easter Island to Papeete looks like the way across the Pacific but that forces us into the Global Explorer ticket (since buying a land segment Papeete-Auckland is cost prohibitive).
A Global Explorer ticket takes into account how many miles you fly and there is a wider range of airline carriers to choose from. Are there any other differences between a oneworld explorer and a global explorer?
Are there any fees in addition to the $5999 quoted fee that I should be aware of (what kind of passenger fees and charges)? I don't have a feel for how much the taxes are and if this should affect my choice. My assumption is that as long as I don't change the route, I can change the time/date for free.
I have no AA miles and don't see getting any before our trip starts. Should I be worrying about all this frequent flyer Gold status stuff? I am all for maximizing my rewards but am I flying enough to worry about this?
Thanks
