Originally Posted by
Gardyloo
All true, but there are many (mainly corporate) flyers who won't go through all that and who use Circle and RTW products in the course of normal business operations. For them, a $9300 Circle ticket is cheaper than a $17500 RT in J to SYD.
My company allows business class for overseas flights, but insists on the cheapest option among contracted airlines, primarily UA and AA. Since UA routinely comes in way, way under AA, often I am able to stay on AA/OW only by using more-restricted fares such as I-class. To Australia, a DCIR was competitive with a UA D-class, so it was an option. Not any more. With UA offering D to SYD for $5k and a DCIR costing $9k, there will be no question. Is my company unique? Will others stick with OW and pay twice as much? I can't say, but it doesn't look good for me personally.
Originally Posted by
benzguy80
those of us in US who (a) don't relish the idea of 15 hrs in L- (eg. LAX-MEL) and (b) too frugal to pay the new DCIR22 price will (c) have to find some other way.
me, I can't spring for a RTW to get from USA to go touring Aus/NZ with my SO. am thinking of DASxx in combo with positioning trips to NRT in first/biz on AA (AAward or upgraded with AA miles).
DASxx prices exNRT are 462000 and 539000 JPY which converts to 4344 and 5068 USD, resp. Add another $2k for positioning (US-NRT) in biz and this is way ahead of RTW and CIR. xASxx Does require a stop over in SE Asia, but I figure a day or two in Bali or SIN would be justifiable under the circumstances.
EDIT: $2k figured on $1400 coach upgraded with AA miles (AA X fare) + $600 copay
I've relied on DCIR fares for myself and OW awards for my SO to allow us to vacation in Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong and me to requalify as EXP at a cost that's a stretch but not impossible. Now, it will be flatly impossible. Especially with OW award hold times going from 14 days to 5, making it effectively impossible to book a OW award in D to match a DCIR.
I want to look into the option you mention. What's an xASxx -- a Circle Asia? The other choice is to perhaps do a DONE4 but only every two or three years instead of every year.