CanadaMTL2

I just came back from a mini-RTW which I booked on Aeroplan, for 75,000 pts, after having churned some credit cards to get Free Bonus Miles. The total taxes were only $315, w/o including GST/PST and the extra $30 to the agent for a phone booking.

I visited Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Korea, and added layovers in Singapore, Beijing, and Vancouver, travelling for a total of ~ 1 month.

I booked it as YUL-MUC-PEK-HKG (Stop 1), HKG-SGN (Turnaround), SGN-SIN-ICN (Stop 2), ICN-PEK-YVR-YUL.

The details were:
YUL-MUC (Layover of 5 hrs in Munich) = Lufthansa
MUC-PEK = Air China
PEK-HKG (Stopover 1) = Air China
HKG-SGN (Turnaround) = United
SGN-SIN (Layover of 10 hrs in Singapore) = Singapore Airlines
SIN-ICN (Stopover 2) = Singapore Airlines
ICN-PEK (Layover of 23 hr 45 min in Beijing) = Air China
PEK-YVR (Layover of 12 hrs in Vancouver) = Air China
YVR-YUL = Air Canada

We wanted to avoid flying through the US, so chose to get to Asia via Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, also which extended the MPM, and home via the Pacific Ocean.

5 hrs in Munich was more than enough time to have beer + sausage; we could have even played mini-putt at the airport, or gone into town, but there is a great Beer Garden at the airport so we stayed.

10 hrs in Singapore was more than enough to visit all the main sites, and eat at two of the most famous hawker centers in the city (we made sure to arrive hungry from Saigon)

23:45 in Beijing was amazing - we even got a hotel for the night, as we timed it so we arrived at 4 pm and left the next day at 3:45 pm.

12 hrs in Vancouver, and it was sunny the whole time, was wonderful as well.

Do note, we took a separate 45 minute flight from SGN-NHA (Nha Trang) to avoid a 9 hr train ride up the coast, but bought that (for a mere $40) with Vietnam Airlines.

So all in all, literally Around the World, for $315.

9 flights booked with the same Aeroplan pts, and even stretching the point of turnaround with the Agent on the phone to allow for a detour to Singapore (and making it be the MPM reference as it is the furthest most point from Montreal, even though it was not the point of Turnaround).

All the flights were amazing, and Air China surprised me with how on time they were. Singapore Airlines is luxurious to say the least!

What a trip...

Thanks to my wife who let me plan this crazy trip, and who loved every minute of it as we travelled the world, pretty much for free.

Pseudo Nim

^ glad you enjoyed.

And that's why we do what we do here...

worldtraveller73

Kudos to you and your wife for doing that in economy!!

My gosh - she's a keeper.

hearna

Hey guys, would the following be possible?

YOW-YUL-ZRH(S)-SIN-MEL(D)-AKL-NRT(S)-ORD-YOW

tng11

Looks to be over MPM TPAC. Routing through NRT from MEL is impossible, let alone having the extra connection in AKL.

PER is the most flexible from Australia - I was able to do PER-SIN-NRT-ORD-YYZ. Leaving from BNE, ADL, MEL - all over MPM+5.

sp4294

OMG...I was just going to say that...Ouch! That must be true love

hearna

What about this then;

Does YOW-AKL-YOW have a permited routing via europe and asia on the return?

I could just buy a AKL-MEL ticket...

Like YOW-YUL-ZRH(S)-SIN-AKL(D)-NRT(S)-ORD-YOW

allbrosca

Just did a quick search though MEL for you.

YOW-FRA or LHR-BKK or SIN-MEL all seem to work. Also YOW-YYZ-ZRH or CPH-SIN-MEL

TPAC MEL-SIN-NRT-YVR-YOW MEL-SIN-PEK or PVG or ICN-YYZ-YOW

tng11

Routing through SIN and NRT/PVG/PEK is not possible with any Australia/NZ destination except Perth - they are all over MPM.

For example, from SYD, pretty much all that works is SYD-ICN-YYZ-YOW or SYD-PEK-YYZ-YOW (it's just under MPM5). Routing through YVR is also over.

From MEL, I found that MEL-PVG-YVR-YOW is bookable. MEL-PVG-NRT-YVR/ORD-YOW also seems to work. The key is you must fly direct from MEL-PVG/PEK.

sp4294

I thought there were some published routes on SQ via NRT,FRA and SIN? Can you go SYD?

tng11

Maybe I should have qualified the above post as referring to over the Pacific. Going over Europe, routing through NRT and SIN to get to SYD should be fine as it's under MPM.

Pseudo Nim

There's a published routing through NRT and SIN?

tng11

Don't know if it's published - but I do recall trying the following routing and it being accepted by an agent as it's under MPM:

YYZ-YUL-MUC-FRA-NRT-SIN-SYD

Pseudo Nim

Interesting. On my phone so can't check, but I wonder if YUL-ZRH-NRT-SIN-SYD would qualify, too.

tng11

On another note:

Are co-terminals in foreign destinations not allowed?

Yesterday, I tried unsuccessfully to get them to let me change my ticket to arrive in DME and leave from VKO. I tried with 3 agents - all said the system wouldn't let them, considering I already have an open jaw. Today I called in again to pretend that a previous agent had forgotten the change in a mess as I changed 6 flights yesterday (yesterday's changes haven't been ticketed) and I got the same response again.

Today I heard a super-creative excuse - co-terminals in foreign destinations are not allowed? I'd find it absurd if they wouldn't allow HND/NRT on the same ticket.