big big thank yous to everyone who has posted and offered advice and help.

have now made slight change to my plans (again!) and think i've just about got it right :

mxp-xlhr-bkk (ba)

(purchasing a first class ticket on lx for this 2 and a bit hour flight so i can try out their product without having to pay $$$ - its actually cheaper than a c-class cx ticket)

sin-dps (qf - yes they still do fly this route)

dps-hkg (cx)

hkg-nrt (cx)

nrt-hkg (cx)

hkg-sfo (cx)

sfo-xdfw-sjd (aa)

sjd-lax (aa)

lax-jfk (aa)

jfk-mia (aa)

mia-ord (aa)

ord-xlhr-man (aa/ba - i know aa fly this route direct but i prefer a 777 service to that of a 767)

man-xlhr-dxb (ba)

dxb-xlhr-man (ba)

here endeth my trip :-(

...and, you guess'd it, another question :

q. is my open jaw rtw explorer itinery ok or do i have to return to mxp at the end of my trip. i plan on using some qualiflyer miles for a c-class flight man-xzrh-mxp to take advantage of much cheaper fares-although i haven't got a clue about who to get the ticket from in italy.

also, are there any glaringly obvious mistakes or such like that i should be aware of.

as always, any and all advice is welcome...thank you very much...dx