Originally Posted by anabolism

You might consider a trial subscription to Expert Flyer. I find it invaluable in RTW planning. I use it to look up routes between any two places, and each potential flight. When I plan an RTW, I want to maximize the enjoyment of the flights as well as the places to visit. For a business class RTW, I want nice, long flights in a better-quality business class. Just for example, rather than LAX-HNL, I'd do LAX-DFW-HNL, because DFW-HNL is a widebody with much nicer seats. I also want flights at convenient times (no short overnight flights, no early-morning flights unless it's a connection where I won't leave the airport). I often build in overnight connections of around 18-28 hours between very long flights, so I can sleep in a hotel, but that adds time so I don't always do it. When connecting in LHR (or anywhere in the U.K.), keep each connection under 24 hours to avoid incurring the UK APD.

An RTW can have 16 flights; I recommend choosing each flight or set of flights carefully. For example, there is no OneWorld nonstop flight from OSL to LAX. The most common routing would be OSL-LHR-LAX, with LHR-LAX on BA or AA. Instead, I'd recommend OSL-DOH-LAX for longer flights, with DOH-LAX in Qsuite, and to avoid BA, which has high surcharges.

When crediting to AA, which airline's flight number is on a flight makes a big difference in earnings. If BA is the same, you might consider booking some flights as codeshares. Expert Flyer will show you the possibilities. When searching for flights, set the airline control to "OneWorld". Also use the Flight Timetable query, or the Flight Availability query with the day control set to "+/1 3 days" because some flights may only operate certain days of the week, and you don't want to not know about them.

The easiest booking option would likely be the AA RTW desk, but you might also consider JAL. I used them for my current RTW and found them a bit lower on surcharges than AA.