Just finished my first ex CAI DONE5 and started my second.

Wanted to share my experience with the difficulty (and ultimate extra expense) of having my CAI-DOH leg canceled. First, RTW#1 (issued directly from QF) was scheduled to end TXL-AMM-CAI on 24 August., RTW #2 (issued by TA on QF stock) was scheduled to begin CAI-DOH-MIA on 24 August.

TA notified me that QF would only reissue RTW #2 originating in DOH. QF absolutely refused all requests to originate in AMM and simply reissued my RTW #2 ticket originating in DOH on 25 August. (And of course in keeping with QF policy that you MUST begin and end in the same city they cut off my final CAI segment so that I terminate in DOH as well. While this gives me two extra segments it has severely complicated by life!)

Several calls to QF (I always get the call center in Cape Town, Mindpearl) to request that I be rerouted directly TXL-DOH because there had been a schedule change and there was no reason to go to CAI anymore. Absolute and total refusal! It was simply maddening because they kept telling me it violated the fare rules and that there hadn't been a schedule change but rather it was an "agreement" by QR to stop the flight! (...?) And therefore not eligible to make such a change because it violated the fare rules. I continue to ask them what was the violation of fare rule and yet had no clue whatsoever as to what rule it was violating. The best excuse though was that I had more than 2 intercontinental departures from Doha, I had to explain the definition of intercontinental to the girl which was painful. Then she came back with another excuse…. I think the "fare rule" that they were really hung up on was that QF absolutely insist that you return to your city of origin. You can point to the rules till you're blue in the face but QF simply will not issue a ticket that terminates in a city different than the origin on these OneWorld products.

RTW #1 ended up like this: CAI-xLHR-BKK-KIX-HKG-AKL-xSCL-MIA-LAX-xSFO-xHEL-xDOH-TXL-xAMM-CAI (last leg not flown)
I can't see any legitimate issue but does anyone see a problem with changing those last legs to TXL-DOH and avoiding CAI, in fact I bring myself back into compliance with only four intra-European segments? Other than the QF obscure refusal to allow me to terminate in DOH?

So then the finger-pointing began and QF insisted is not their problem and that QR stops the flight by an "agreement" it wasn't a schedule change. When I got to DOH the first time I tried the ticketing desk at the transfer desk (anyone that's been there knows how wonderfully organized and competent that transfer desk is on a normal itinerary so I didn't have my hopes) where the lady took my information and of course she couldn't do anything because anybody that knew about OneWorld products was in the back office and I couldn't speak to them. I headed to the transit hotel for a few hours of sleep and woke up to an email that basically said "sorry QR cannot modify the itinerary because it violates fare rules." I just threw up my hands and realized I was screwed by two completely inept airlines' knowledge of what their own OneWorld products. Once I got to Berlin I called QF to try to modify RTW #2 saying that I never asked to have the CAI-DOH portion cut off and could they please allow me to originate in AMM. Since it was issued by a TA they said that the TA was responsible and they could not change it.

So long story short, I ended up having to buy two full fare J tickets from AMM-DOH (at 2 AM, only flight available and only full J available) simply to get back to DOH to commence RTW #2. In Berlin the contract check in lady refused to check my bags all the way to MIA but did at least short check them to AMM (with only one RJ flight a day out of their I could see that what I was asking for was way above their pay grade). For a while they were insisting the bags had to go to CAI. So for that gift I was "allowed" to purchase a $56 transit visa per person so that I can clear immigration pick up my bags and recheck them, although fortunately at the premium check in lounge in AMM he was able to check them all the way through to MIA which saved me another transit visa nightmare in DOH!

Bottom line. What a goat rodeo! That 2 OneWorld carriers continued to point fingers at each other till the bitter end forcing me to spend a substantial amount for a two hour flight and a visa to make up for an obvious OneWorld schedule cancellation was in the end just repulsive. I guess this teaches me quite a bit about competency of the airline that controls your ticket. Yes, I know any OneWorld carrier can take it over but they are very hesitant to and in this case outright refused when it was due to their own schedule cancellation! I will finish RTW #2 next year, all the while having to make changes through my TA.