I'm not sure what your point is. The list of airlines indicates that your friend bought his ticket from a consolidator, and you can do the same thing if you want to, and if you don't mind long trips in coach, chances are you'll have a great time. There's nothing wrong with any of the airlines on the list.

The kinds of tickets usually discussed in this forum cost a bit more than $1900 in coach, but give you more travel benefits. We can visit 20 cities instead of 5, racking up miles equivalent to two trips around the world in the process if we care to. We have a year to finish the trip (your friend may also have a year).

Much of the time we have our choice or two or more carriers who'll take our ticket if our plans (or theirs) change; chances range from none to slim that an airline will endorse a consolidator's ticket to a competitor should the need arise.

As I suggested in an earlier post I've flown around the world half a dozen times on consolidator fares, and have no regrets. If the $1900 trip suits your friend just fine, there's no reason to spend a dime more.