Originally Posted by dvs7310

Unfortunately you can't switch MLE-CMB-PEK to QR since DOH is in the Europe / ME zone and MLE is Asia, you'd have to take UL out of MLE to CMB but can take MH from there since you still have an extra segment you can use in Asia (4 max, so MLE-CMB-KUL-PEK is 3 and PEK-TYO is 1). MH apparently resumes direct flights to MLE in August, so if your trip is after that (which I believe yours is in 2025) then you could do DOH-KUL-MLE on QR and MH, and then MLE-KUL-PEK on MH, finishing off with the planned PEK-TYO on JL.

I don't recall who you're crediting to but if AA then to PEK you're slightly better off on MH. UL doesn't have a cabin bonus with AAdvantage. No matter who you're crediting to, UL is pretty much a direct route to PEK from MLE, so you're not getting anything additional by detouring a bit to the east first. via KUL is more miles.

Also I think you have a typo in your price. $6000 total sounds about right for a DONE4 ex-TYO, and I suspect you meant $700 instead of $1700 in taxes and fees, which is also about right ex-TYO, I think I've been in the range of $600-800 in taxes and fees on my last 2 ex-TYO DONE5s.

That's a really nice data point that AA still ticketed this without any TPAC or TATL flights on it. Good to know they'll do it with South America instead since I'm pretty sure going anywhere except GRU requires AA codes to / from South America, so they're unavoidable in that situation. I cringe thinking of using AA codes TPAC or TATL because of the massive penalty getting credit on revenue vs. distance.

**Edit on my original post, didn't realized UL is now the only Asian OW carrier in MLE, didn't realize CX stopped flying there and MH is only to CMB, not MLE but is apparently resuming MLE in August this year.