I hate to say this... but FT has done it again.

Sure, it has saved us lots by sharing ideas and such, but the buying frenzy we have created through buying tickets issued mostly in the USA for countries with weaker currencies have caused some OWE fares to sky rocket to ridiculous levels that even it's expensive to us now. Not to mention what the LOCAL buyer at that country can now ill afford.

The ticketing frenzy that issued many RTWs through the American Airlines RTW desk in the USA have caused AA and other OneWorld members themselves to raise concern of this open loophole that may have resulted in the majority of OW RTWs to be issued in the USA, taking advantage of the weaker currencies.

That loophold has now officially closed.

New rules pertains as follows on the American Airlines CRS pages of SABRE:

THE FARE PAID IS APPLICABLE WHEN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
ACTUALLY COMMENCES IN THE COUNTRY OF THE POINT OF ORIGIN
SHOWN ON THE TICKET. IF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL ACTUALLY
COMMENCES IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, THE FARE MUST BE
REASSESSED FROM SUCH COUNTRY.
.
1. THE FARE TO BE CHARGED IS DETERMINED BY THE NUMBER
. OF CONTINENTS IN THE ITINERARY (INCLUDING CONTINENT
. OF ORIGIN).
.
2. NOT APPLICABLE FOR SALES MADE IN CANADA
. WHEN TRAVEL ORIGINATES IN A COUNTRY FOR WHICH A
. SPECIFIED LOCAL CURRENCY FARE IS PUBLISHED AND
. TICKET IS SOLD IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, THE EQUIVALENT
. AMOUNT MUST BE THE FARE CONVERTED USING THE BSR OR
. THE FARE APPLICABLE FOR ORIGIN IN THE COUNTRY OF
. SALE, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER.

** This is it. If you want to buy a ticket from the originating country, you'd have to get it there. STAR ALLIANCE and other RTWs couldn't be issued otherwise except from that country of origin or CANADA. Now OW tickets have followed suit. You can only issue it in the country of origin or CANADA.

Time for AA to reduce the number of staff from their RTW desk, I guess. They won't be quoting much routings from now on.