May 30, 2013, 9:55 pm
Last edit by: jerryhung
New List of Mini-RTW 2.0 version after Oct 29th, 2014 "enhancement" (i.e. less MPM)
FAQ: List of valid and booked mini-RTW itineraries version 2.0 (post-"enhancement"
INTRO
This wiki is taken from the excellent overview in the first post of this thread by FrequentFlyer9000 and is meant as a guide to the Aeroplan "Mini-RTW" for the uninformed newbie flyer. This is a no judgment zone and newbies are welcome. In this thread, the usage of scary acronyms and complicated FlyerTalk insider-speak will be minimized.
Also, this wiki is a work in progress so please provide feedback or make wiki edits if you think something warrants it.
INFO & COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the "Mini-RTW"?
The Mini-RTW is a name given to a type of reward booking using Air Canada's Aeroplan miles. It is actually not a "round-the-world" ticket at all - it is a regular award redemption. Just as you would use 75K frequent flyer miles to go to Japan on another airline, you can use 75K to do so using Aeroplan miles. The difference is that Aeroplan allows you to "stopover" in multiple cities at no extra mileage cost, making it very attractive compared to other reward travel. It should be noted that this isn't really that much better than some other airlines. For example, Delta offers one stopover + open jaw, which is only one stopover worse than Aeroplan's deal. But many of the airlines only offer one stopover and no open jaw. So there is definitely value here.
In addition to your final destination (in which you can stay for days/weeks/months), you are allowed:
•Two stopovers in other cities (stay for days/weeks/months). You are allowed to trade one of these stopovers for an open jaw (where you land in one city, but take the next flight out of another city)
•10 segments (layovers during which you spend less than 24 hours in a given city) <-- this limit may be gone as of 2014/2015
So, disregarding the additional 10 segments, an award trip for Japan could actually look like this:
NYC > Tokyo (destination - one week) > Paris (stopover - one week) > London (stopover - one week) > NYC
You basically get three times the world exploration for the price of one. If you add on the extra layovers allowed, you can turn it into:
NYC > Los Angeles (one day) > Hawaii (one day) > Tokyo (one week) > Seoul (one day) > Hong Kong (one day) > Paris (one week) > Munich (one day) > London (one week) > Washington DC (one day) > NYC
Of course, you don't have to do the above. Spending so much time in airports can be exhausting. But the option is there for you if you want it.
How many miles is this going to cost me?
See the Award Travel chart here.
From North America to "Asia 1" countries: (effective Jan 1, 2014)
•75K in Economy
•150K in Business
•210K in First
From North America to "Europe 1" countries:
•60K in Economy
•90K in Business
•125K in First
...and so on. Check the link for other combinations. Assuming you are stopping in three cities, the city in the most "expensive" redemption zone is the zone you will have to pay for. So if you are visiting two Asia1 zone cities and one Middle East city, you will pay 80K miles rather than 75K miles since that is what the Middle East trip costs (numbers assume Economy class travel).
Which miles do I need to use? Can I use miles from other Star Alliance airlines?
You need to use Aeroplan miles. You cannot use miles from other Star Alliance members, such as United, to book this mini-RTW. However, you can book flights for the mini-RTW on any airline that is in the alliance and has the desired award seating available. You technically do not have to fly any segments on Air Canada at all.
So, what's the catch? What are the restrictions?
There is no catch. However, there are some restrictions on your itinerary. This is where things get a bit more complicated.
Want to find the new MPM after 10/29/2014?
Aeroplan City Pair mileage (new pseudo-MPM) - FlyerTalk Forums
This is no longer valid after 10/29/2014
2) If you do elect to use an open jaw instead of one of your stopovers, you must schedule the open jaw so that it is in the same "IATA zone" as either the origin or the destination city. So if you are going from NY to Japan to Europe and back to NY, the open jaw cannot be scheduled in Europe, since it is neither the origin zone or the destination zone. The open jaw also cannot be a larger distance than any two legs you are actually flying. In case you are wondering, IATA zones are as follows:
IATA 1 - The Americas (incl. Caribbean, Hawaii)
IATA 2 - Europe as far as the Ural Mountain range, Middle East & Africa
IATA 3 - Oceania, SE Asia, Far East, Sub-Continent.
Remember that if you use your open jaw at the turnaround/destination point, you will only have one stopover to use left. So you would be able to do NYC > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. This has one destination, one open jaw (at turnaround point), and one stopover. However, you would not be able to do this: NYC > Madrid (stop) > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. Because your 2 stops + 1 open jaw would be more than the two allowed.
3) You cannot land in the same city twice in any one direction. This means that on my way from NY to, let's say, Cairo, I cannot do New York > London > Paris > London > Cairo on the way there, since I would be stopping in London twice in one direction. However, I can stop in London on the way to Cairo and then again on the way back from Cairo.
4) The actual trip needs to be "bookable". It needs to follow certain rules. I won't get into too many details, but anything completely nonsensical in terms of routing is generally not going to fly. But most routes will not fall into this category. Just something to keep in mind.
Do I have to go in the same direction for every leg of the flight?
No. As an example, you can cross the Atlantic twice or cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific once (more like a real RTW trip).
How do I book this?
Assuming you have already planned out your entire itinerary to the dot and have made sure your trip is in accordance with the above restrictions, call Aeroplan and speak with a representative. Alternatively, you can try to book online for free. However, this is not always possible with more complicated routings.
What will this cost me in real cash? How can I minimize fees?
It depends on the region you travel to and which airline you fly on. In general, the more Air Canada segments you fly the more fees/taxes you will pay. Aeroplan does not collect surcharges on non-Air Canada-operated flights. So flying Air Canada internationally will cost you extra. If you use a lot of Air Canada flights in your mini-RTW, your fees could be anywhere from $150 to $400, even sometimes creeping up above $600. Lesson is to avoid AC "metal" (airplanes) if possible.
Every trip will have a $30 cost per person for booking on the phone, regardless of the itinerary.
What are the change fees if I want to change a leg or multiple legs of the trip later?
$90 for changes after original booking. If there is an involuntary change because of flight schedules changing, there is no fee charged. Note that when you make a change, the taxes/fees associated with fuel, etc. may change. They may decrease or increase depending on the previous flight and the new flight. This is independent of the $90 rebooking fee. The $90 is flat regardless of how many of the segments you change. It is not $90 per changed segment.
How do I plan this trip out? Even finding a simple award ticket can be difficult online, let alone one with 10 segments!
Good question. It is recommended that you use either the All-Nippon Airways (ANA) website (guide on how here), the KVS tool (costs money) or ExpertFlyer (costs money), or http://FliSea.com. I personally like to use KVS, but it is not newbie-friendly. It is $20 for 2 months for the "diamond" level service, and $75 for a year. Small price to pay for saving a lot of time, if you can handle the learning curve. ANA is a good free method of finding segments and many people have had plenty of success with it; FliSea is a metasearch tool that uses all of the sites above.
The trick is to do this one segment at a time. So first find NYC > LONDON for the date you want and make sure that the award class you are looking for is available (e.g. Economy low fare). Then do the next leg: LONDON > ROME. Repeat for every segment. Write down the details of each flight, calculate the mileage using the www.gcmap.com resource, and call up Aeroplan to book.
One of our Flyertalk members has built a database with all the Mini-RTW routes that have been flown in the various threads in one simple place: http://www.turnleftat.com/mini-rtw-list/
FAQ: List of valid and booked mini-RTW itineraries version 2.0 (post-"enhancement"
INTRO
This wiki is taken from the excellent overview in the first post of this thread by FrequentFlyer9000 and is meant as a guide to the Aeroplan "Mini-RTW" for the uninformed newbie flyer. This is a no judgment zone and newbies are welcome. In this thread, the usage of scary acronyms and complicated FlyerTalk insider-speak will be minimized.
Also, this wiki is a work in progress so please provide feedback or make wiki edits if you think something warrants it.
INFO & COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the "Mini-RTW"?
The Mini-RTW is a name given to a type of reward booking using Air Canada's Aeroplan miles. It is actually not a "round-the-world" ticket at all - it is a regular award redemption. Just as you would use 75K frequent flyer miles to go to Japan on another airline, you can use 75K to do so using Aeroplan miles. The difference is that Aeroplan allows you to "stopover" in multiple cities at no extra mileage cost, making it very attractive compared to other reward travel. It should be noted that this isn't really that much better than some other airlines. For example, Delta offers one stopover + open jaw, which is only one stopover worse than Aeroplan's deal. But many of the airlines only offer one stopover and no open jaw. So there is definitely value here.
In addition to your final destination (in which you can stay for days/weeks/months), you are allowed:
•Two stopovers in other cities (stay for days/weeks/months). You are allowed to trade one of these stopovers for an open jaw (where you land in one city, but take the next flight out of another city)
•10 segments (layovers during which you spend less than 24 hours in a given city) <-- this limit may be gone as of 2014/2015
So, disregarding the additional 10 segments, an award trip for Japan could actually look like this:
NYC > Tokyo (destination - one week) > Paris (stopover - one week) > London (stopover - one week) > NYC
You basically get three times the world exploration for the price of one. If you add on the extra layovers allowed, you can turn it into:
NYC > Los Angeles (one day) > Hawaii (one day) > Tokyo (one week) > Seoul (one day) > Hong Kong (one day) > Paris (one week) > Munich (one day) > London (one week) > Washington DC (one day) > NYC
Of course, you don't have to do the above. Spending so much time in airports can be exhausting. But the option is there for you if you want it.
How many miles is this going to cost me?
See the Award Travel chart here.
From North America to "Asia 1" countries: (effective Jan 1, 2014)
•75K in Economy
•150K in Business
•210K in First
From North America to "Europe 1" countries:
•60K in Economy
•90K in Business
•125K in First
...and so on. Check the link for other combinations. Assuming you are stopping in three cities, the city in the most "expensive" redemption zone is the zone you will have to pay for. So if you are visiting two Asia1 zone cities and one Middle East city, you will pay 80K miles rather than 75K miles since that is what the Middle East trip costs (numbers assume Economy class travel).
Which miles do I need to use? Can I use miles from other Star Alliance airlines?
You need to use Aeroplan miles. You cannot use miles from other Star Alliance members, such as United, to book this mini-RTW. However, you can book flights for the mini-RTW on any airline that is in the alliance and has the desired award seating available. You technically do not have to fly any segments on Air Canada at all.
So, what's the catch? What are the restrictions?
There is no catch. However, there are some restrictions on your itinerary. This is where things get a bit more complicated.
Want to find the new MPM after 10/29/2014?
Aeroplan City Pair mileage (new pseudo-MPM) - FlyerTalk Forums
This is no longer valid after 10/29/2014
1) Your itinerary must be within 5% of the total "Maximum Permitted Mileage" (MPM) for the route from the origin to the destination. Even though you are stopping in three cities by using your two stopovers and a final destination, you can define the destination as the stop city furthest away from the origin. Although certain flyers have gotten away with telling an inattentive phone rep that their final destination / "turnaround city" is one of their layover cities to increase their MPM, this does not always work. Sticking with one of your three stop cities is a safe bet.
MPM exist so that you cannot repeatedly fly around the world 10 times on your 10 segments. There is a limit to how many miles you can fly on the reward ticket. MPM guidelines can be found by using the KVS tool or by using Expert Flyer. MPM is calculated between your origin and your destination, one-way. The trips to and from your destination are calculated separately. You are allowed to overshoot this number by 5% ("MPM5"). If you can find a bookable itinerary online that has a mileage longer than the published MPM, this is a "published routing" and can be used even if it exceeds the MPM5. In KVS, navigate to the "Reference" tab, select "MPM" from the dropdown menu, and enter your city pair. MPM information is available under the Travel Information section of ExpertFlyer. It is available to all subscribers, Basic or Premium, and there is a 5-day free trial to ExpertFlyer.com that can be used.
To see if your itinerary fits your MPM limit, you can use the site here to see your total miles traveled: www.gcmap.com. Enter your airport codes separated by dashes to see the itinerary and get the total mileage (e.g. NYC - LHR - NYC). Example here.
TO READ MORE ABOUT MPM: Read this (short) document
MPM exist so that you cannot repeatedly fly around the world 10 times on your 10 segments. There is a limit to how many miles you can fly on the reward ticket. MPM guidelines can be found by using the KVS tool or by using Expert Flyer. MPM is calculated between your origin and your destination, one-way. The trips to and from your destination are calculated separately. You are allowed to overshoot this number by 5% ("MPM5"). If you can find a bookable itinerary online that has a mileage longer than the published MPM, this is a "published routing" and can be used even if it exceeds the MPM5. In KVS, navigate to the "Reference" tab, select "MPM" from the dropdown menu, and enter your city pair. MPM information is available under the Travel Information section of ExpertFlyer. It is available to all subscribers, Basic or Premium, and there is a 5-day free trial to ExpertFlyer.com that can be used.
To see if your itinerary fits your MPM limit, you can use the site here to see your total miles traveled: www.gcmap.com. Enter your airport codes separated by dashes to see the itinerary and get the total mileage (e.g. NYC - LHR - NYC). Example here.
TO READ MORE ABOUT MPM: Read this (short) document
IATA 1 - The Americas (incl. Caribbean, Hawaii)
IATA 2 - Europe as far as the Ural Mountain range, Middle East & Africa
IATA 3 - Oceania, SE Asia, Far East, Sub-Continent.
Remember that if you use your open jaw at the turnaround/destination point, you will only have one stopover to use left. So you would be able to do NYC > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. This has one destination, one open jaw (at turnaround point), and one stopover. However, you would not be able to do this: NYC > Madrid (stop) > Singapore (destination, open jaw) // Tokyo (stop) > NYC. Because your 2 stops + 1 open jaw would be more than the two allowed.
3) You cannot land in the same city twice in any one direction. This means that on my way from NY to, let's say, Cairo, I cannot do New York > London > Paris > London > Cairo on the way there, since I would be stopping in London twice in one direction. However, I can stop in London on the way to Cairo and then again on the way back from Cairo.
4) The actual trip needs to be "bookable". It needs to follow certain rules. I won't get into too many details, but anything completely nonsensical in terms of routing is generally not going to fly. But most routes will not fall into this category. Just something to keep in mind.
Do I have to go in the same direction for every leg of the flight?
No. As an example, you can cross the Atlantic twice or cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific once (more like a real RTW trip).
How do I book this?
Assuming you have already planned out your entire itinerary to the dot and have made sure your trip is in accordance with the above restrictions, call Aeroplan and speak with a representative. Alternatively, you can try to book online for free. However, this is not always possible with more complicated routings.
What will this cost me in real cash? How can I minimize fees?
It depends on the region you travel to and which airline you fly on. In general, the more Air Canada segments you fly the more fees/taxes you will pay. Aeroplan does not collect surcharges on non-Air Canada-operated flights. So flying Air Canada internationally will cost you extra. If you use a lot of Air Canada flights in your mini-RTW, your fees could be anywhere from $150 to $400, even sometimes creeping up above $600. Lesson is to avoid AC "metal" (airplanes) if possible.
Every trip will have a $30 cost per person for booking on the phone, regardless of the itinerary.
What are the change fees if I want to change a leg or multiple legs of the trip later?
$90 for changes after original booking. If there is an involuntary change because of flight schedules changing, there is no fee charged. Note that when you make a change, the taxes/fees associated with fuel, etc. may change. They may decrease or increase depending on the previous flight and the new flight. This is independent of the $90 rebooking fee. The $90 is flat regardless of how many of the segments you change. It is not $90 per changed segment.
How do I plan this trip out? Even finding a simple award ticket can be difficult online, let alone one with 10 segments!
Good question. It is recommended that you use either the All-Nippon Airways (ANA) website (guide on how here), the KVS tool (costs money) or ExpertFlyer (costs money), or http://FliSea.com. I personally like to use KVS, but it is not newbie-friendly. It is $20 for 2 months for the "diamond" level service, and $75 for a year. Small price to pay for saving a lot of time, if you can handle the learning curve. ANA is a good free method of finding segments and many people have had plenty of success with it; FliSea is a metasearch tool that uses all of the sites above.
The trick is to do this one segment at a time. So first find NYC > LONDON for the date you want and make sure that the award class you are looking for is available (e.g. Economy low fare). Then do the next leg: LONDON > ROME. Repeat for every segment. Write down the details of each flight, calculate the mileage using the www.gcmap.com resource, and call up Aeroplan to book.
One of our Flyertalk members has built a database with all the Mini-RTW routes that have been flown in the various threads in one simple place: http://www.turnleftat.com/mini-rtw-list/
FAQ: The Complete Newbie Guide/FAQ to the Air Canada Aeroplan Mini-RTW
Apr 23, 2012, 8:19 pm
#91
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Programs: StarAlliance (Aeroplan)
Posts: 498
OK, importing a conversation that I mistakenly posted on the wrong thread.
The backstory is as follows. I wrote:
Pseudo Nim replied:
Since then I've looked more and called AP twice but to no avail. F on OZ is available on United and on ANA but not on AP. The agents when I've called, both times, have told me that is normal: different airlines have different availability. And they and I have the same search engine.
On the face of it that makes sense, but what I find strange is that so far I get the EXACT same availability on ANA and United and AP for every other leg I've looked at -- with the single exeption of this one leg, which does not show up with AP.
Does anyone have any further thoughts, or do I just need to suck it up and take a different routing?
The backstory is as follows. I wrote:
Pseudo Nim replied:
Since then I've looked more and called AP twice but to no avail. F on OZ is available on United and on ANA but not on AP. The agents when I've called, both times, have told me that is normal: different airlines have different availability. And they and I have the same search engine.
On the face of it that makes sense, but what I find strange is that so far I get the EXACT same availability on ANA and United and AP for every other leg I've looked at -- with the single exeption of this one leg, which does not show up with AP.
Does anyone have any further thoughts, or do I just need to suck it up and take a different routing?
The availability should be the same, I suspect this is a "Ghost" or "Phantom" booking on the Aeroplan website. It may clear up over time.
I had a similar problem, the flight I wanted showed up on ANA and on the Aeroplan website but when I tried to actually book it on the Aeroplan site I would get an error. When I tried to book it with an Aeroplan agent they didn't see it at all as available.
After about 1 month the availability disappeared from ANA and Aeroplan, by then I had already booked something else.
You could try to post a message in the ANA or United boards, ask if this flight is actually bookable, I'm sure someone with points will try for you.
Apr 23, 2012, 8:21 pm
#92
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Programs: StarAlliance (Aeroplan)
Posts: 498
If you leave FRA to connect to an LH/LX first flight (Same day) you can use the FRA FCL/FCT and the ZRH FCL.
Apr 23, 2012, 8:25 pm
#93
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
Since then I've looked more and called AP twice but to no avail. F on OZ is available on United and on ANA but not on AP. The agents when I've called, both times, have told me that is normal: different airlines have different availability. And they and I have the same search engine.
Ha. That's true. But I'd rather overnight in FRA and use the FCT. The ZRH F lounge is really nothing to write home about. Nice decor and nice quiet rooms, but really, that's about it as far as I'm concerned.
Apr 29, 2012, 12:05 pm
#94
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 321
Need some help, this has been driving me nuts so far, trying to plan this.
Would this be valid?
YWG-YUL-ZRH(stop)-IST(stop)-ICN OR NRT (turn around)
NRT(ICN)-AKL(stop)-LAX-YVR-YWG
Do I need to insert a FRA stopover between ZRH and IST?
Basically, we need to end up in AKL, and we don't plan on taking the rest of the trip back - we'll finish it a different way. That's the plan at the moment.
Looking for advice here, thank you in advance.
Would this be valid?
YWG-YUL-ZRH(stop)-IST(stop)-ICN OR NRT (turn around)
NRT(ICN)-AKL(stop)-LAX-YVR-YWG
Do I need to insert a FRA stopover between ZRH and IST?
Basically, we need to end up in AKL, and we don't plan on taking the rest of the trip back - we'll finish it a different way. That's the plan at the moment.
Looking for advice here, thank you in advance.
Apr 29, 2012, 10:01 pm
#95
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG (mind in YYZ)
Programs: MPC Green, AC Tangerine :)
Posts: 1,102
Need some help, this has been driving me nuts so far, trying to plan this.
Would this be valid?
YWG-YUL-ZRH(stop)-IST(stop)-ICN OR NRT (turn around)
NRT(ICN)-AKL(stop)-LAX-YVR-YWG
Do I need to insert a FRA stopover between ZRH and IST?
Basically, we need to end up in AKL, and we don't plan on taking the rest of the trip back - we'll finish it a different way. That's the plan at the moment.
Looking for advice here, thank you in advance.
Would this be valid?
YWG-YUL-ZRH(stop)-IST(stop)-ICN OR NRT (turn around)
NRT(ICN)-AKL(stop)-LAX-YVR-YWG
Do I need to insert a FRA stopover between ZRH and IST?
Basically, we need to end up in AKL, and we don't plan on taking the rest of the trip back - we'll finish it a different way. That's the plan at the moment.
Looking for advice here, thank you in advance.
you get a max of 2 stops plus your point of turnaround
you'll probably have to make AKL your destination since the NZ award is in a costlier zone than Asia 1
i'm not too sure what the max MPM is and what are the available routings which might let u bypass MPM, maybe others can chime in
May 31, 2012, 7:00 pm
#96
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: YVR. YGK
Programs: AC-SE Hhonors-G IHG-P
Posts: 210
If I wanna book a mini--RTW starting at either frankfurt or HongKong, am I still allowed 2stopover + turnaround? and how does it work?
can I go fra-asia(stop)-NA(turnround)-asia-fra? or hkg-Europe(stop)-NA(turnround)-Europe(stop)-hkg?
Thanks in advance.
can I go fra-asia(stop)-NA(turnround)-asia-fra? or hkg-Europe(stop)-NA(turnround)-Europe(stop)-hkg?
Thanks in advance.
Jun 22, 2012, 9:57 pm
#97
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Toronto
Programs: AC *E
Posts: 30
My current itinerary is:
YOW-YYZ (stop)-YVR-AKL (stop)-PER (POT)-SIN-PEK-JFK/EWR-YYZ-YOW.
Does Aeroplan allow to change the stopovers after the completion of the first flight? Specifically, when I am in YYZ, does AE allow me to then change the ticket to ... ?:
YYZ-LHR-SIN-CHC (POT) - SIN-LHR-ZRH (stop)-YUL-YYZ-YOW
Thanks!
YOW-YYZ (stop)-YVR-AKL (stop)-PER (POT)-SIN-PEK-JFK/EWR-YYZ-YOW.
Does Aeroplan allow to change the stopovers after the completion of the first flight? Specifically, when I am in YYZ, does AE allow me to then change the ticket to ... ?:
YYZ-LHR-SIN-CHC (POT) - SIN-LHR-ZRH (stop)-YUL-YYZ-YOW
Thanks!
Jun 23, 2012, 12:08 am
#98
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Programs: StarAlliance (Aeroplan)
Posts: 498
My current itinerary is:
YOW-YYZ (stop)-YVR-AKL (stop)-PER (POT)-SIN-PEK-JFK/EWR-YYZ-YOW.
Does Aeroplan allow to change the stopovers after the completion of the first flight? Specifically, when I am in YYZ, does AE allow me to then change the ticket to ... ?:
YYZ-LHR-SIN-CHC (POT) - SIN-LHR-ZRH (stop)-YUL-YYZ-YOW
Thanks!
YOW-YYZ (stop)-YVR-AKL (stop)-PER (POT)-SIN-PEK-JFK/EWR-YYZ-YOW.
Does Aeroplan allow to change the stopovers after the completion of the first flight? Specifically, when I am in YYZ, does AE allow me to then change the ticket to ... ?:
YYZ-LHR-SIN-CHC (POT) - SIN-LHR-ZRH (stop)-YUL-YYZ-YOW
Thanks!
As a bonus you won't have to pay any Fuel Surcharges. (You will have to pay the difference in landing fees or taxes and the $90 change fee)
Jul 1, 2012, 2:00 pm
#99
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 73
newb
Hello, I'm new to the world of Flyertalk and the mini-RTW, but I have been reading about it for a few months. I plan on booking one in F next year, but I would like to start getting an idea now for a possible itinerary.
I'm originating from Calgary and the only part of the trip which is a must is a one-week stop in Tokyo.
To avoid taxes and fees I'm hoping to fly on Swiss Air, Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
I was hoping my stop cities would be Prague, Seoul and Hong Kong (HK could be less than 24 hours).
Just off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like this:
YYC-???-ZRH-PRG(stop)-IST-HKG(longer layover)-NRT(stop)-ICN(stop)-???-YYC
I think the segments up till Hong Kong should be fine, but then I'm not sure what airlines I would take from there. Also, if coming back over the Pacific, going to Seoul would actually be going backwards. I would consider coming back over the Atlantic if I can avoid fees.
Any advice or tips from veterans would be appreciated.
I'm originating from Calgary and the only part of the trip which is a must is a one-week stop in Tokyo.
To avoid taxes and fees I'm hoping to fly on Swiss Air, Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
I was hoping my stop cities would be Prague, Seoul and Hong Kong (HK could be less than 24 hours).
Just off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like this:
YYC-???-ZRH-PRG(stop)-IST-HKG(longer layover)-NRT(stop)-ICN(stop)-???-YYC
I think the segments up till Hong Kong should be fine, but then I'm not sure what airlines I would take from there. Also, if coming back over the Pacific, going to Seoul would actually be going backwards. I would consider coming back over the Atlantic if I can avoid fees.
Any advice or tips from veterans would be appreciated.
Jul 1, 2012, 2:16 pm
#100
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: YUL
Posts: 970
Hello, I'm new to the world of Flyertalk and the mini-RTW, but I have been reading about it for a few months. I plan on booking one in F next year, but I would like to start getting an idea now for a possible itinerary.
I'm originating from Calgary and the only part of the trip which is a must is a one-week stop in Tokyo.
To avoid taxes and fees I'm hoping to fly on Swiss Air, Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
I was hoping my stop cities would be Prague, Seoul and Hong Kong (HK could be less than 24 hours).
Just off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like this:
YYC-???-ZRH-PRG(stop)-IST-HKG(longer layover)-NRT(stop)-ICN(stop)-???-YYC
I think the segments up till Hong Kong should be fine, but then I'm not sure what airlines I would take from there. Also, if coming back over the Pacific, going to Seoul would actually be going backwards. I would consider coming back over the Atlantic if I can avoid fees.
Any advice or tips from veterans would be appreciated.
I'm originating from Calgary and the only part of the trip which is a must is a one-week stop in Tokyo.
To avoid taxes and fees I'm hoping to fly on Swiss Air, Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
I was hoping my stop cities would be Prague, Seoul and Hong Kong (HK could be less than 24 hours).
Just off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like this:
YYC-???-ZRH-PRG(stop)-IST-HKG(longer layover)-NRT(stop)-ICN(stop)-???-YYC
I think the segments up till Hong Kong should be fine, but then I'm not sure what airlines I would take from there. Also, if coming back over the Pacific, going to Seoul would actually be going backwards. I would consider coming back over the Atlantic if I can avoid fees.
Any advice or tips from veterans would be appreciated.
Last edited by LearningToFly; Jul 1, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Jul 1, 2012, 2:47 pm
#101
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 73
Oh, you're right, perhaps I could fly back through Europe. Or I could always go to Seoul first, then fly back from Tokyo. Do you think I could find a United flight in F back from Tokyo?
Last edited by d00little; Jul 1, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Jul 1, 2012, 3:59 pm
#102
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
- LH's first class terminal in FRA
- TG's lounge in BKK
- LH 747 beds
- TG F suites
- phenomenal OZ service
Also, TK has no F (but no YQ, and excellent J product), so don't waste a segment on that.
I'd suggest (assuming availability) YYC-YUL-ZRH-PRG, PRG-FRA-BKK-HKG, HKG-NRT, NRT-ICN-LAX-YYC. Oh yeah you'll get hit with pretty big YQ, but you'll try all of the above - which is easily worth the $1.5K in my view. If the only goal is to save YQ you should consider flying J, since some of the YQ-less airlines are so bad it's not worth wasting F points on them (UA).
Jul 1, 2012, 4:18 pm
#103
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 73
Hello, I'm new to the world of Flyertalk and the mini-RTW, but I have been reading about it for a few months. I plan on booking one in F next year, but I would like to start getting an idea now for a possible itinerary.
I'm originating from Calgary and the only part of the trip which is a must is a one-week stop in Tokyo.
To avoid taxes and fees I'm hoping to fly on Swiss Air, Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
I was hoping my stop cities would be Prague, Seoul and Hong Kong (HK could be less than 24 hours).
Just off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like this:
YYC-???-ZRH-PRG(stop)-IST-HKG(longer layover)-NRT(stop)-ICN(stop)-???-YYC
I think the segments up till Hong Kong should be fine, but then I'm not sure what airlines I would take from there. Also, if coming back over the Pacific, going to Seoul would actually be going backwards. I would consider coming back over the Atlantic if I can avoid fees.
Any advice or tips from veterans would be appreciated.
I'm originating from Calgary and the only part of the trip which is a must is a one-week stop in Tokyo.
To avoid taxes and fees I'm hoping to fly on Swiss Air, Turkish Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
I was hoping my stop cities would be Prague, Seoul and Hong Kong (HK could be less than 24 hours).
Just off the top of my head, I was thinking of something like this:
YYC-???-ZRH-PRG(stop)-IST-HKG(longer layover)-NRT(stop)-ICN(stop)-???-YYC
I think the segments up till Hong Kong should be fine, but then I'm not sure what airlines I would take from there. Also, if coming back over the Pacific, going to Seoul would actually be going backwards. I would consider coming back over the Atlantic if I can avoid fees.
Any advice or tips from veterans would be appreciated.
You should be able to. But consider a very important point about YQ. If you're flying F, you're kind of missing out on a huge part of the experience if you are determined to avoid it. Consider:
- LH's first class terminal in FRA
- TG's lounge in BKK
- LH 747 beds
- TG F suites
- phenomenal OZ service
Also, TK has no F (but no YQ, and excellent J product), so don't waste a segment on that.
I'd suggest (assuming availability) YYC-YUL-ZRH-PRG, PRG-FRA-BKK-HKG, HKG-NRT, NRT-ICN-LAX-YYC. Oh yeah you'll get hit with pretty big YQ, but you'll try all of the above - which is easily worth the $1.5K in my view. If the only goal is to save YQ you should consider flying J, since some of the YQ-less airlines are so bad it's not worth wasting F points on them (UA).
- LH's first class terminal in FRA
- TG's lounge in BKK
- LH 747 beds
- TG F suites
- phenomenal OZ service
Also, TK has no F (but no YQ, and excellent J product), so don't waste a segment on that.
I'd suggest (assuming availability) YYC-YUL-ZRH-PRG, PRG-FRA-BKK-HKG, HKG-NRT, NRT-ICN-LAX-YYC. Oh yeah you'll get hit with pretty big YQ, but you'll try all of the above - which is easily worth the $1.5K in my view. If the only goal is to save YQ you should consider flying J, since some of the YQ-less airlines are so bad it's not worth wasting F points on them (UA).
I actually was considering flying in J at first, until work travel had me racking up quite a few miles in the past 6 months. I currently only have enough for J and since I might be travelling less in the future, I might not have enough for F by the end of the year (unless Aeroplan has another upgrade deal).
If going J and trying to avoid YQ, what route would others recommend if trying to hit the cities I listed above?
Jul 1, 2012, 4:48 pm
#104
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
Thanks, that's some great info. I guess 1.5K isn't too bad for everything you're getting.
I actually was considering flying in J at first, until work travel had me racking up quite a few miles in the past 6 months. I currently only have enough for J and since I might be travelling less in the future, I might not have enough for F by the end of the year (unless Aeroplan has another upgrade deal).
If going J and trying to avoid YQ, what route would others recommend if trying to hit the cities I listed above?
I actually was considering flying in J at first, until work travel had me racking up quite a few miles in the past 6 months. I currently only have enough for J and since I might be travelling less in the future, I might not have enough for F by the end of the year (unless Aeroplan has another upgrade deal).
If going J and trying to avoid YQ, what route would others recommend if trying to hit the cities I listed above?
If you're flying J, then route through IST - can try the good hard product and get a free IST tour from TK if your layover is >8 hours (and since ALL eastbound flights depart at 1-1.30am, just get in on a morning flight and you're all set).
To avoid YQ on your routing, do:
YYC-YUL-ZRH-PRG, PRG-IST-HKG, HKG-PEK-NRT on CA, NRT-something west coast on UA (or if you are REALLY lucky and win the lottery once in a while, then NRT-LAX on SQ), then home.
Btw, the NRT-LAX on SQ works for F too, but only if you're lucky enough to win the lottery twice. On the same ticket. :P
Jul 6, 2012, 6:36 pm
#105
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC, YYZ
Programs: AC SE100K, SPG Gold, UA MP
Posts: 1,002
Mini-RTW 2013 booked!
Booked this for my mom a few weeks ago and got pretty much what I want; just need to book a revenue ticket to match now (mix of J/Y hoping to upgrade on AC). 
This is for late April early May
EWR-ZRH (UA F) (stop)
ZRH-FRA-ICN (OZ F) (stop)
ICN-NRT (UA F)
NRT-YYZ (AC J)
All-in: <$400
Is this a good deal?
Not a lot of stops but managed to get F for her. I think UA F is a good product so willing to go for it and LX wasn't yet available and I wasn't willing to sacrifice losing F or availability on certain segments, plus considering I'm buying a revenue matching ticket need to consider which airlines give the best deal for J and chance to upgrade to J on AC as E. In my limited experience I feel OZ gives the best J fares from Europe and to NA for the service.
Heard OZ has a great soft/hard product and I hope OZ F would be amazing. AC2 on J is a good product and you get good sleep so I think that's a good choice. Don't want to go through the US and NH J/F wasn't available so no point to do that routing.
This is for late April early MayEWR-ZRH (UA F) (stop)
ZRH-FRA-ICN (OZ F) (stop)
ICN-NRT (UA F)
NRT-YYZ (AC J)
All-in: <$400
Is this a good deal?
Not a lot of stops but managed to get F for her. I think UA F is a good product so willing to go for it and LX wasn't yet available and I wasn't willing to sacrifice losing F or availability on certain segments, plus considering I'm buying a revenue matching ticket need to consider which airlines give the best deal for J and chance to upgrade to J on AC as E. In my limited experience I feel OZ gives the best J fares from Europe and to NA for the service.
Heard OZ has a great soft/hard product and I hope OZ F would be amazing. AC2 on J is a good product and you get good sleep so I think that's a good choice. Don't want to go through the US and NH J/F wasn't available so no point to do that routing.