Originally Posted by pbraincafe

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I live near SFO and will be taking a few weeks off from work to visit family in HKG, perhaps combined with a vacation to Australia, and possibly a stop in Tokyo. I was looking into business class fares, and soon realized a Circle Pacific fare could be a great deal.

*A has a terrific online mapping tool for RTW and circle fares, complete with mileage and rules-checking. However, I realize with CX and QFboth in oneworld, perhaps oneworld is the better choice. (I have no elite status and only a handful of miles on AA.) But I can't figure out how to verify proposed oneworld itineraries. Anyone know?

Specifically, which of these routings are good or even valid? Would like to minimize multi-stop flights.
SFO-HKG-SYD-SFO
SFO-HKG-NRT-SYD-SFO
SFO-HKG-SYD-NRT-SFO

My only scheduling restriction is that I have to visit HKG before any other city, due to family obligations. So I can't do SFO-NRT-HKG which might be more logical.

I'm happy to substitute SYD for MEL (or any city in Australia) as it's all new to me.

Any advice is appreciated. And how do I go about booking such a flight? Searches reveal a number for the AA RTW desk, do they do circle fares too? And should I also sign up for the AA plat challenge before booking? (Or just before first leg depature?) Thanks!