Originally Posted by checkerboard

If I remember correctly, the old theoretical maximum was quite a bit higher than that:

2 = Europe-> SWP (via Asia)
4 = Free in SWP
2 = Additional Purchased in SWP
1 = SWP to Asia
4 = Free in Asia
2 = Additional Purchased in Asia
2 = Asia to South America (via North America)
4 = Free in South America
2 = Additional Purchased in South America
1 = South America to North America
6 = Free in North America
2 = Additional Purchased in North America
2 = North America to [certain countries] in Africa (via Europe)
4 = Free in Africa
2 = Additional Purchased in Africa
1 = Africa to Europe
4 = Free in Europe.

That's already 45 sectors, not counting surface sectors, which were also included free at the time...

I can't say I ever had a ticket this long myself (I think my longest was 28 flight sectors, on an MONE5 - back when RTW tickets had a respoectable booking class, even in economy), and with all the add-ons, it wouldn't have been cheap in any case... but nonethelss, the One World Explorer ticket has proved a wonderful, flexible product, which helped me see much of the world I wouldn't have otherwise, and which did more than anything else to build my loyalty to OneWorld, where the promise of status-benefits still cause me to pay slightly more (as we all do) to fly than I would if I were buying tickets just on price/schedule alone. In this sense, while perhaps a loss-leader, these old tickets can't have been a losing proposition... though now with only 16-sectors maximum and no free surface sectors, the 24-sector *A ticket (and the matching status *A carriers will offer) seems very enticing indeed. It's a pity, really, as I've enjoyed the OneWorld network expansion - but then again, *A is fairly expansive in its own right, and might be worth me giving a closer look.