Originally Posted by
choco14
... I did consider ANC, but have told that the connections are operated by Alaska Airlines so can't be used by OWE fare...
I am still struggling between LONE5 and DONE5. ... I think maybe its safer to stay at the lounges overnight instead of taking taxi in darkness -- it actually comes to my another question: Can I get into those business lounges with DONE5? Are the airports i picked offering lounges?
DONE5 fare gets you access to all the lounges (and the FF miles you earn will get you enough status to get lounge access for another year). But very few airport lounges are open 24 hours -- even HKG closes the lounges overnight. If you stay overnight at airports, it will not be pleasant or comfortable. Airport taxis are very safe in all countries, as they are strictly controlled. Most of the cities you list are safe, but if safety is a concern you can do some more research. I think planning on staying overnight at airports is a bad plan (and I've done my share of this).
ANC is served by AA from June to September on DFW-ANC-DFW. ANC is a great place to visit, stunning scenery and very interesting. Quite different from cities. It helps if you can rent a car and drive (on the wrong side of the road), but driving isn't essential.
You could go JFK-CUN//MEX-DFW-ANC-DFW-BOS-LAX-SCL