Thanks for your effort and time helping us out.
We are working on our third year of what is now named an AA Explorer Award:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...er-awards.html
So we're very comfortable using the Oneworld Planner, setting up an itinerary and some understanding about the Oneworld Explorer rules.
We're not worried about routing, just pricing.
Traveling RTW this summer (ord-nrt-mnl-hkg-dad-bkk-del-amm-ist-lhr) thinking if we were in a country that offer the LONE3 at a much cheaper price than the states it would be something to think about.
Jerry's links helped out. Unfortunately, we won't be traveling to JNB.
Does the
Trial EF offer the features for worldwide LONE3 prices?
Oneworld "anything" lost a lot with IB dropping IST and ATH adding to miles, in the case of an Explorer AAward or taxes on an Oneworld Explorer
The names of these programs are confusing. Especially when they change 'em.
We were thinking of setting up an itinerary that works with the Oneworld Planner and have the AA desk fix up the errors.
They have to approve everything anyway.
Thanks again for your good tips.
Much appreciated.
Originally Posted by
JohnAx
The RTW desk is not a travel agency and works best if you pretty much know what you want them to book for you. Starting with your question, you have a long road to travel to get to that point.
I suggest this forum is a good beginning but again you'll get a better reception if you're clearly doing some of the work yourself. Page through a month's worth of posts (not daunting, this isn't as busy a forum as some).
There used to be member-maintained spreadsheets but I don't think any are current. A rough-cut for any city can be had from ExpertFlyer - just enter the same starting and ending city (and specify any OW carrier if you want to avoid the other alliances.) A bit of effort involved but coupled with reading posts here you'll have figured out the best suspects. Hint: JNB.
Getting to the starting point and back home again later adds to the cost.
ExpertFlyer (EF) prices are always for the basic fare. Taxes and fees depend on the carrier (some impose huge "fuel surcharges", and airports along your path can extract huge fees as well.) When you home in on a starting point and know your path, use the OneWorld site to get a more accurate total including all those fees.
Besides pricing, you'll need a pretty deep understanding of a complicated set of rules to be sure a trip you've priced meets your requirements and the airlines'.
Good luck - if you don't have the time or interest in detailed planning but do want the cheapest price, find a qualified travel agent. Many might be dangerously uninformed, so be sure to choose one who's been recommended by someone you trust.