Originally Posted by
BrewerSEA
Would AA Canada ticket this trip for me? I'm in Vancouver frequently enough that it's not much of an issue to hop over to YVR, and the Canadian exception would allow me to purchase the ticket converted from SAR-CAD and then USD by my CC issuer
, right?
Originally Posted by
jbalmuth
If you can take advantage of the Canadian exception, and can get the AA RTW desk to setup your itinerary for ticketing in Vancouver, I expect that you'll find that the ex-RUH trip will be substantially cheaper than what is currently showing on the tool...
P.S. I think that if you ask the AA RTW desk to choose the AA codeshare flight number for the HKG - JFK segment, that they'll be happy to facilitate the Vancouver ticketing.
I don't know what "AA Canada" might be. There's only one AA RTW desk, and it's in the USA.
My understanding of the "Canada exception" rule was that since the advent of online e-ticketing this has become nearly a moot point, since by using the online tool you can pay the price applicable to the country of issue regardless of where you're sitting at the moment. If you were trying to get paper tickets, then I believe the RTW desk could set it up to have the reservation queued to a Canadian travel agent (not an AA station) who, based on some talks I had with one in Vancouver right about the time the online tool was launched, would charge a pretty hefty fee in order to write the tickets on an AA plate. When I asked for their most senior agent and started talking about xONEx issuance, she got
very very quiet. I plainly was not speaking her language.
Now this is all swirling around in my head, and subject to my error, so I would certainly phone the RTW desk and get their official word on it.
On the matter of AA passing through BA (or QF) fuel surcharges, which usually represents the biggest part of the differential between AA- and BA-issued tickets, it would be good to hear of some recent experiences. Since the JBV was launched this autumn, AA has been passing through (to us, the had-ees) BA's fuel fines on e.g. award tickets. I don't know if this has extended to RTW tickets, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. My guess is that AA's rates desk that handles RTWs (used to be in Dublin, don't know if they're still doing it) would probably come up with pretty close numbers to those returned by the online tool. But do check it out - it could be serious money.
Originally Posted by
BrewerSEA
Wonderful! This is what I will do, if possible.
I understand that AA is paid a fee when I choose the AA codeshare of the CX flight, and am happy to support them, but what effect does this have when it comes to CX, other than the obvious lost revenue?
*Many pre-flight issues that might occur would need to be addressed with AA rather than CX, right?
*Once I get my boarding pass am I completely a CX pax? (You always check in with the operating carrier, no?)
*Does booking a codeshare affect me when it comes to compensation? For example, I know that CX will give very generous cash compensation to F pax who are forced into J due to equipment change. Would this not happen on a a codeshare?
And finally, other than to convince the AA RTW to ticket this itinerary, would you recommend (or not) using codeshares in general?
In my experience different airlines handle codeshare pax differently. I can't speak to CX, but on e.g. BA, who I've flown using AA and AY codes, you couldn't do OLCI and you couldn't pre-select seats, but once on board there was no difference. The boarding pass reflected the actual code, in case I needed it to claim lost miles or something.
On JL (AA codes) everything was the same as if it was a JL ticket.
Yes, you always check in with the operating carrier. In case of something going sideways, you deal short term with the operating airline, then later with the issuing airline, who will punt you in the general direction of the operating airline, who will refer you back to the issuing airline... get it?
Bottom line, I would personally only use codeshares if it had a significant impact on my mileage earning (e.g. Plat/EXP bonuses) or if it would kosher things with the RTW desk.