I have an expectation (or maybe it is just a hope) that a new version of the rule sheet will be published in September.
Why? Because JJ commences GRU-JNB services, thus making possible 3-continent itineraries that start in the southern hemisphere continents (for example SYD-SCL-GRU-JNB-SYD).
So I expect the following words to be removed from Rule 0 (zero):
* 3 Continent Fare is only offered for travel originating in Asia, Europe/Middle East and North America
(and I further expect 3-continent fares to be published for countries in the southern hemisphere continents).
Just in case there IS a lurker who reads this forum (either from Oneworld itself or from one of the airlines), what rule changes would WE like to see? We can list them here in this thread, and who knows….
So, I will go first
Minor changes:
Renumber the clauses!
They are numbered 0, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26
Would it be too hard to number them 1 to 17?
Rule 4(h)
Remove the word free from this “Free flight segments within each continent are limited as follows:”
In the past we could purchase additional segments within a continent, but that ability was removed some time ago. So now the only flight segments allowed are the free segments, so the word ‘free’ is superfluous.
Also unbold the word flight.
Rule 15
Has the following sentence:
When travel originates in a country for which a specific local currency fares is published and the ticket is sold in another country, the fare will be that published for the country of origin converted to the currency of the country of sale at the bank selling rate.
I am unsure what the words “for which a specific local currency fares is published” are meant to convey, but if they are necessary then I suggest the wording be changed to
- Either “for which a specific local currency fare is published”
- Or “for which specific local currency fares are published”
But my view is the words are unnecessary, and the following wording would suffice:
When travel originates in one country and the ticket is sold in another country, the fare will be that published for the country of origin converted to the currency of the country of sale at the bank selling rate.
Re-write (yet again!) the backtrack rules in 4(e).
What is there is still unnecessarily complex IMHO. I suggest the following wording:
4(e) Only one intercontinental departure and one intercontinental arrival permitted in each continent except as follows:
- Two permitted in North America when one is a transfer without stopover
- Two permitted in Asia when one is a transfer without stopover
- Two permitted in Europe/Middle East when one is a transfer without stopover. Note only one flight segment allowed between United Kingdom and South Africa/Mauritius
.
Perhaps words such as the following might need to be added at the end (but not in my opinion): “Note a direct single plane service between two continents that transits one of the above continents is considered a transfer without stopover”.
With the change to the rule for two visits to Europe/Middle East, remove the Zones from the definition of the continent Europe/Middle East. In other words, change:
The continent of Europe-Middle East consists of 2 zones:
- Europe (including Algeria, Morocco, Russia west of the Urals & Tunisia)
- Middle East (including Egypt, Libya and Sudan)
To
The continent of Europe-Middle East consists of Europe, including Russia West of the Urals, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Middle East including Egypt, Libya and Sudan
Make rule 4(e) more complex!
This is a Southie versus Northie thing. As it stands the rule only allows backtracks of northern hemisphere continents. I think they should allow backtracks of southern hemisphere continents as well or instead.
My suggested wording:
4(e) Only one intercontinental departure and one intercontinental arrival permitted in each continent except as follows:
- Either Two permitted in North America when one is a transfer without stopover
Or Two permitted in South America when one is a transfer without stopover
- Either Two permitted in Asia when one is a transfer without stopover
Or Two permitted in South West Pacific when one is a transfer without stopover
- Either Two permitted in Europe/Middle East when one is a transfer without stopover
Or Two permitted in Africa when one is a transfer without stopover. Note only one flight segment allowed between United Kingdom and South Africa/Mauritius.
I was once looking at an itinerary that in summary went JNB-SYD-SCL-EZE-LHR-JNB. At the start I needed to fly from Africa straight to Australia because of time constraints. I would have liked to include Asia after SWP, but to do so would have required the inclusion of North America (in order to get from Asia to Sth America). If I had been allowed to revisit the SWP as a transfer without stopover then I could have done it (for example HKG-xAKL-SCL).
Remove the following words from Rule 0:
* Travel between South West Pacific and Europe/Middle East on a single flight number/or by surface eg LON-SYD/MELvv, DXB-SYD/MELvv, DOH-ADL/MEL/PER/SYDvv, is considered travelling via Asia. Continents South West Pacific, Asia and Europe/Middle East must each be counted.
I get what the purpose is – there are some very long flights possible here and the airlines want more money. But:
- The longest of the flights, which is LHR-SYD is only 600 or so miles longer than SYD-JFK and it seems unreasonable to me to charge whole continent for that
- It is very unreasonable to charge a whole continent for the shortest possible flight, which is DOH-PER at 5,800 miles and so is a similar distance to other inter-continental flights
Finally, I have been mulling the implications of a change to the definitions of the continents of Africa and Europe/Middle East -changing them to Europe and Africa/Middle East. But I will leave that for another post
Edited to add;
I realized I have left the words "Middle East" out my proposed definition of the continent Europe/Middle East
and I remembered I had intended to add these words at the end of my post
I obviously have way too much time on my hands
