RIX - DAR
 

I'm looking into a Z2-Z5 trip some time in the next couple of months. Tanzania seems interesting, and most of the routes there seem to go via Nairobi which would be a good stopover. The StarAlliance flight search gives 3 main routes out: RIX-FRA-ZRH-NBO-DAR on LH, RIX-WAW-ZRH-NBO-DAR on LO and RIX-IST-ZRH-NBO-DAR (LH, LO, and TK respectively for the first leg, and all using LX for the last 3 flights.) The only route it gives back is DAR-NBO-ZRH-WAW-RIX.

The one out via IST would be preferable as I wouldn't mind a stopover there (you can take an IST stopover if your final destination is outside Z1+2, can't you?), but it's quite an odd route, so perhaps that wouldn't be allowed?

ITA, however, threw up a RIX-FRA-ADD-DAR route on LH. It has a long layover in FRA, but a stopover in ADD would be nice. However, it also comes with a €298 YQ surcharge that isn't so nice.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions? My goal is two interesting stopovers — i.e. pretty much anywhere outside Europe (IST counts!) — whilst keeping taxes and surcharges down as much as possible.

Whilst I'd like to visit at least one of Tanzania/Kenya, I'm not completely set on that, and other Z5 destinations could be considered too.

I'd probably be going miles+cash in Business, but if there are any routes where it's definitely worth going First, I'd consider that too. I haven't looked into availability on any of these, but routes that are likely to actually be available are preferable! :) (Ideally I'd be going in August, but I'm fairly flexible within the next 3 months.)

All thoughts / suggestions very gratefully received!

I don't think LX sell NBO-DAR - if you can't get that flight separately you won't be able stop in NBO. Same may apply to ADD-DAR.

Looks like MS fly CAI-DAR so that might be an option. If you want to stretch things you might find a destination not served by LH/LX/TK/MS so that you have no choice but to go via JNB. @:-)

Also, a bit wayward, but have you a spotted that Z5-Z5 if pretty cheap and Z5 is pretty wide, with many points only connected via Europe (or maybe CAI now). ;)

On NBO/DAR, if it matters the migration will be in Kenya in August and then cross south sometime in September/October (usually).

Gah. I'd stupidly been operating on the assumption that anywhere that there was a scheduled stop was fair game for a stopover. Is there a guide somewhere to which routes have this problem, or is it a matter of just checking each in turn?

:) Any suggestions?

Oooh. Hadn't thought of that. I'd also been looking at RIX-DKR via LIS, as there's a conference in Lisbon I'd quite like to go to, and 30k base miles Z2-Z5 with a stopover in Lisbon is *much* more attractive than a simple 20k base miles to Lisbon and back.

But I hadn't considered the extra fun of then going, say, DKR-DAR, which is given as a route of DKR-ABJ-LBV-JNB-DAR, any one of which could make a nice stopover.

I can't get the standard flight tool or the RTW calculator to give me any routes DKR-NBO. How do I work out what an acceptable route would be?

Thanks.

No stopovers in Europe I'm afraid, so IST is out, as is LIS mentioned later in this thread. Europe in DC terms is anywhere in zones 1 and 2.

:( I thought people had said here before that the website was wrong on that one, and that as long as your final destination was outside Z1/Z2 it was acceptable. Did I Just imagine that, or has it changed?

I thought that was the scenario where both the starting and ending zone were outside of Z1/Z2.

The bmi website specifically states a scenario where the final destination is outside of Z1/Z2:

OK, thanks.

It's even more important to find more interesting routes, then :)

Any interest in visiting EBB?

Z5 is a lot wider than that: don't let that little Red Sea restrict you.

Sure. The standard and RTW calculators don't give any routes RIX-EBB, but the timetable lists an MS flight from Cairo on Tue and Sat, returning a Wed/Sun. So if I ask to book those on other days, they'd be OK with my going via JNB instead, and taking a stopover there?

I had a look further east too, but I was having difficulty finding two stopovers: most of the northerly places seem to go via CAI to get there, and then again on the way to RIX. MCT-RIX appears to have options (DXB/BAH/AUH), and DOH-RIX goes via RUH, but I haven't looked into which ones are actually plausible stopovers yet, or tried other routes (getting caught with the explosion of options!).

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Sorry, doesn't look like I checked properly. MS' network is more extensive than I realised and might have scuppered both ideas.

DKR-DXB returns DKR-LIS-FRA-DXB if that helps.

No worries. So, that brings us right back to the original question: what are some good Z5 stopovers with low taxes/surcharges? It seems a shame to not maximise the chance to explore as widely as possible by using the full number of stopovers (whether that's 3 locations on a Z2-Z5-Z2, or 5 on a Z2-Z5-Z5-Z2, or even a full-blown Z2-Z5-Z5-Z5-Z2: which is still only the same base cost as a Z2-Z6-Z2!) but I don't really want to get hit with €300 surcharges just for picking the wrong destination, when I don't really mind where I end up. The only Z5 location I'd prefer to avoid is Azerbaijan, solely because I've been there before — anywhere else is open. All suggestions welcome!

Indeed, thanks. I'd also noticed that DKR-DAM and DRK-BEY go via LIS as well.

Unfortunately DKR-LIS flights have quite hefty surcharges - the TP YQ is €240, on top of the €80 airport taxes. RAI has only about €15 airport taxes, but still gets the nasty €240 TP YQ.

In comparison the TK YR is only €50 on DKR-IST, which is twice the length. So I think I'll be avoiding TP, and thus LIS!