<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bedelman:
Is it preferable to do step 3 through the issuing travel agent (for those of us using travel agents, as when advance-purchasing a ticket from a country other than where we reside)? Or directly with the airline?</font>
Any travel agent/airline willing to make a reservation for you would be fine. (RTW reservations do not have to be made by an issuing agent. Airlines, however, may refer you to the head carrier.)
If you have a confirmed reservation, I don't think it matters whether it is open-dated or dated.
CX, for instance, will reaccommodate you on another airline if there is any service disruption.
If you are holding an open-dated segment without a reservation, then it will be a totally different story. I don't see in such an instance why an airline has to reaccommodate you on another carrier.
[This message has been edited by Chiangi (edited 05-09-2003).]