With PEK->DXB taken in coach the final fare came to $7200 which is really not that much more than Skyteam's RTW fare (assuming that is still $6600??).

Fingers crossed that I make it across the Atlantic before some bright-spark in accounting notices that this is not an RTW fare :-)

Also, I'm discovering a lot of NW trips in South Asia (BKK <-> TPE, for example). On the maps of the world I've seen, NW doesn't draw these?? Is there posted somewhere a nice map of there routes? They help fill some gaps in the KE routes.

Thanks for the feedback, John