Originally Posted by
747-444
I am looking at a multi continent DONE(3) ticket, basically flying in a triangle.
I am currently in Johannesburg and am heading towards Melbourne.
I was thinking of CPT-JNB-HKG-SIN-SYD-MEL-BNE-MEL-SYD-JNB, is this possible or is it too many back tracks? I do live in MEL so I HAVE to be there essentially. I thought the routing via SIN to get on the QF A380 and I would like to try and get to SYD on the way down to MEL, if I can't then so be it.
Any suggestions as well to maximise mileage?
Finally, who do I book this with? I am generally loath to use airlines as their RTW/Multi-Continent ticket staff are not always up to date with the rules, can I book it online or do I have to go with an airline? Also if I need to go with any airline are there any suggestions as to which one to book with?
What are the penalties to change the routing? Can I change dates free of charge? How long is the ticket valid for as I intend to depart and return to SA about 360 days later, final date of return is an unknown at the moment.
Start by reading the sticky threads/FAQs. Your itinerary is not an RTW as you're not crossing either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.
You would be able to get close to this itinerary using Oneworld's Circle Trip Explorer -
http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-trave...-trip-explorer. In business class, it's around US$750 cheaper than a DONE4 bought in South Africa (but of course would generate far fewer FF miles/points.) You probably ought to price out a conventional itinerary, however, to make sure the value of the Circle product is sufficient given all the rules. When I say "close" to the itinerary I suspect there are rules regarding numbers of stopovers per continent, plus limitations regarding stops or transits through given cities. There's a link to the full rules on the OW website.