Originally Posted by
milksheikh
I have no personal experience to compare first-class service between airlines and flights, so the following is a very unqualified suggestion, but if mileage maximization is a subgoal and a extra flight hours is not a concern, perhaps making SYD-NYC on QF, LAX-LHR or YVR-LHR on BA, LHR-HKG on CX, and HKG-SYD on QF as the transcontinental legs would be worth considering. Or HKG-AKL on CX if they haven't been to New Zealand.
The itinerary in your original post isn't valid as it enters Asia twice.
And Katoomba is indeed a lovely place (even when it's raining and misty like it was when we were there in June -- part of our DONE4).
Two entries are permitted in Asia as long as one is a transit without stopover between Europe and SWP.
34N . 5. ONLY 1 INTERCONTINENTAL DEPARTURE AND 1
35N . INTERCONTINENTAL ARRIVAL PERMITTED IN EACH
36N . CONTINENT EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS:
37N . * 2 PERMITTED IN NORTH AMERICA WHEN 1 IS A
38N . TRANSIT WITHOUT STOPOVER.
39N . * 2 PERMITTED IN ASIA WHEN 1 IS A TRANSIT
40N . WITHOUT
41N . STOPOVER OR ON DIRECT SINGLE PLANE SERVICE
42N . BETWEEN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AND EUROPE.
43N . * 2 PERMITTED IN EUROPE WHEN 1 IS A TRANSIT
44N . WITHOUT STOPOVER BETWEEN
45N . GHANA/NIGERIA/KENYA/UGANDA/TANZANIA AND
46N . ANOTHER
47N . CONTINENT.