Originally Posted by
oneworld4u
...Turning to serfy's earlier posting: "In the last year or so, the rules for xONEx's changed to include surface segments(/open jaws) in the 20 segment limit. This has led to an issue regarding co-terminals where some oneworld member airlines consider the use of co-terminals to be a surface segment while others do not. e.g. I know one airline considers the following route to be 6 segments, while another believes it to be 4 only:
ORD-LHR,LGW-DBV-LGW,xLHR-SIN
Note, that while the first airline believes it to be six, they consider no UK APD is payable for DBV-LGA,xLHR-SIN.
Can you please shed some light on which interpretation is the correct one?"
Our fares specialist advises: "Segments are the same as flight coupons. Which must have no geographical gaps. (Even between LHR and LGW). Thus LHR-LGW is a segment. In example you quoted, the only exception could be if the xLHR-STN has the same flight number as the DBV-LGA. In which case DBV-STN would count as one segment. UK APD is not charged for transfers (but is for stopovers). Transfers must be within 24 hours of previous flight arrival."...
Beyond that, I would prefer to wait until we have posted our formal announcement on this issue before responding to any more queries or observation on this subject. So please hold fire until then!
oneworld4u - First, thanks for your continued assistance.
Second, the above response was posted in mid-March, and I don't believe we still have a definitive answer on the co-terminal/segment section, as to whether, e.g., having "NYC" or "LON" in cases of a co-terminal city wouldn't be compatible with e-ticketing restrictions.
On a related subject, let me refer to a currently open thread at
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=835664. The OP is trying to book a LONEx ticket with Qantas and is being told that surface segments are counted against the continent segment limits as well as the overall 16-segment maximum rule.
Other OW members, namely AA and BA, do not count them against per-continent limits, and it obviously has nothing to do (in this case) with any limitations of e-ticketing or GDSs. Perhaps it's just a training gap, but with decentralized rule interpretation between the various member airlines, this sort of confusion is very unwelcome.
Perhaps you could comment on how cross-training and "mediation" on issues relating to common products' rules is accomplished between OW member airlines.
Thanks again for all your help.