Please assume that I will have successfully completed AA’s Plat Challenger before this RTW (thanks to many of you who had suggested it). I am trying to build a DONE4 itinerary, ex-TLV. Here is what I’ve drafted:

TLV-xLHR-NRT-DEL-xNRT-SIN-HKG-PER-DWN-ADL-xBNE-SYD-LAX-DFW-ANC-ORD-LHR (Itin ends at LHR instead of TLV; I wanted to end at TLV but ran out of segments). I would settle with LHR had it been ok’d by the rules.

When selecting cities to build this itin, everythig was ok except in the last segment (when & where the RED TRIANGLE showed up), ORD-LHR. All flights were validated and available except for the last segment.

1. Which rule did this itin break?
2. I welcome any and all suggests for a somewhat similar itin with ex-TLV in DONE4?
3. Are there any preferred flights by airlines and aircrafts in the above itin or the for one you may suggest? Would love to be on the A380.

Thank you for your insight.

kkkkkkkkkkk

Plus if miles are important to you LAX-DFW-ANC-ORD-LHR would be better done as LAX-ORD-ANC-DFW-LHR.

Even better if you can do SYD-JFK and LAX-LHR with wherever you actually want to go in the US in between.

Stopping over at all the same places (but in a slightly different order):

TLV-xLHR-SIN-HKG-DEL-NRT-PER-DRW-ADL-SYD-JFK-DFW-ANC-ORD-LAX-LHR-TLV is 52169 miles vs 47514 in your original (invalid) itinerary.

This could be fine-tuned further if you don't actually need to stop over at all those places.

You need to finish anywhere in the Middle East (could be TLV, AMM, DXB...) That was the broken rule.

All you need to do is eliminate one segment in Asia, by not doubling back, e.g. ...LHR-NRT-DEL-HKG-SIN-PER-DRW... then end with ANC-ORD-LHR-TLV or some such.

You could earn more miles by going to the SW Pacific first, which might also help you get on an A380 on Qantas - maybe twice, e.g.

TLV-LHR-SYD-PER-ADL-DRW-SYD-SIN-NRT-DEL-HKG-LAX-ORD-ANC-DFW-MAD-TLV... with A380s possible on the LHR-SYD and SYD-SIN segments.

Note this skips Brisbane, which was only shown as a connection in your original itinerary anyway.

Remember as an AA Plat you get no Plat bonus miles on BA- or JL-numbered flights. I'd also try to use an AA code on the transpacific and transatlantic flights so that you can get this ticketed by AA -either the RTW desk or using AA's GSA in Israel, Tal Aviation, so that you duck the (fairly massive) fuel fines you'd get by having BA issue the ticket as the first carrier (if you use the online tool for example.)

You could avoid this last problem by using Amman as your origin point (more or less the same price as TLV) and using AMM-LHR on RJ as your first segment. I seem to recall that AA issues the tickets for the online tool when RJ is the originating carrier. You'd also get Plat bonus miles on the AMM-LHR leg.

Two other possible advantages by originating in Jordan - you could skip the initial LHR transfer and go directly to HKG on RJ, and/or at the end capture an extra N. America segment and do the final leg ORD/JFK - AMM. Worth playing around with it.

Thanks everyone for chiming in.

Gardyloo,
Thanks for the tips re no plat bonus miles on BA & JL numbered flights & to choose an AA code on TPAC & TATL flights.

Keeping in mind the above sound advice, I could not find any AA codeshare numbered flights out of TLV –xLHR-SYD. They are all BA’s. Therefore, big no no per your tips. I shall try ex-AMM. See below.

Now re ex-AMM: With the OW online tool, I found that after AMM (RJ)-LHR (QF)-SYD -, while at SYD, the tools runs into a dead end. There is no possibility to select PER or any city in Australia (since NO green square dots avail). Where did I go wrong? I still like to play around with this idea of yours.

I will also play around with other ideas that you've mentioned.

christep,
Thanks for your suggestions. Yes, miles are important. No realize that JL and BA don’t offer elite bonus miles, I try to focus on picking destinations and flights not involving those 2 airlines.

I came up with the following modified itinerary (DONE4) that has been validated and have availability except for SYD-LHR segment that has no availability. (did try different dates and QF1 or QF39 etc....). I saw 744 in one of the flight. I hope they fly A380 on this route.

AMM-xORD-LAX-ORD-ANC-DFW-JFK-HKG-DEL-BKK-SIN-PER-DRW-ADL-SYD-LHR-AMM

This itin yields only 39,331 BIS miles (a bit pathetically low) due to not much zig-zagging in Asia to avoid JL. My TATL AMM-xORD is on AA7201. TPAC flight JFK-HKG is on AA codeshare (AA6073).

Due to no availability (I have no clue why, since date is far away in second half of year) on the SYD-LHR segment, I was not able to work through to the end with the online tool. No clue what the fuel surcharges and taxes are.

Based on above, and after finding avail on SYD-LHR, I ought to be able to ticket through AA, correct?

How can I further improve mileage?

Thanks again.

If using the online tool, you need to spell out every segment rather than letting the tool pick the connecting flights for you. So if you want to go from TLV/AMM to SYD via LHR, you need to put in the TLV-LHR and the LHR-SYD segments in manually, rather than putting in TLV-SYD and letting the machine decide which flight to connect to. Ignore the maps - just type in the code of the next airport, but do it one at a time.

AA has no codeshares on flights where (a) you're not connecting immediately to/from an AA-metal flight and/or (b) one end of the flight is in the USA. What you want to do on e.g. TLV-XXX-SYD is to get on a QF flight down under, where your AA Plat bonus will be significant. Originating in TLV your only choices are LHR, MAD or BUD, only one of which is an intercontinental gateway to Asia or Oz. By originating in AMM you can go directly to N. America, Europe or Asia, saving a segment.

Again, if you specify all segments one at a time, you shouldn't encounter any "dead-ending" at any point.

You don't need to use AA codes in order to get the bonus miles, just airlines where AA has a bonus agreement, i.e. everyone except BA, JL and MA. But even flying BA or JL for a couple of segments is not the end of the world; you'll still get full miles and class of service bonus; and sometimes you can use other codeshares (e.g. QF on BA metal) which will also generate AA Plat bonuses.

I make it 49,398 according to the GCM. I don't think that's especially pathetic, but YMMV. It would yield (my math) around 114,000 redeemable AA miles. The route I listed above, (TLV-LHR...MAD-TLV) even with 3 BA/JL flights, comes in at 55K BIS and 116,500 AA miles (and 8K more AA EQP if you're interested in shooting for EXP.)

Thank you for being so tirelessly hand-holding newbies like myself, you and others alike. Kudos to you all. ^^

When starting a new itinerary, I will remember to do it one segment at a time (and w/o short-cut), and find flight at the same time.
Often I forgot about the bonus miles rules by individual carrier. I will bear in mind that no plat bonus miles on BA, JL & MA numbered flights & to favor AA code on TPAC & TATL flights.

I don’t know why my BIS miles # is different (typo pergaps). We both use GCM. On the other hand, milecalc dot com offers yet another # (namely 49161 miles). I like milkecalc b/c it spoells out booking class bonus, elite bonus and total miles. Understand that ultimately it is the miles calculated by the carriers that really count.

I will continue to play with your suggested ex-TLV (or AMM) itin. Please explain the “8K more AA EQP if you’re interested in shooting for EXP”. Looking further down the line, I would like to do another RTW, perhaps ex-AKL, a LONE4. So the answer is yes, I would like to shoot for EXP if possible. I need to sort out the timing at which the LONE4 should be done to maximize (lenghten) the elite status period as far as possible. Granted that I would achieve Plat by the end of July this year (due to the then successful conclusion of Plat Challenge).

Business class flights earn 1.5 AA elite qualifying points (not miles) per mile flown. Reaching Executive Platinum with AA (the top tier - Oneworld Emerald, which comes with lots of perks) requires either 100,000 elite qualifying miles, or elite qualifying points (or a billion segments) in a calendar year. A 50,000 mile RTW earns 75,000 EQP; 54,000 earns 81,000 points etc. So if one is interested in attaining EXP status, more is better in terms of BIS miles in a premium class RTW, because of the EQPs, irrespective of the redeemable miles earned in the process.

Sound interesting!
After your post, I checked out the "perks" for AA EXP. I am tempted. Will try and figure out how to stagger couple of RTWs over 18 months to shoot for EXP. Will see!
I am a bit more encouraged by the recent "rumor" that JL might stay with OW.
As always, I appreciate your sharing.