You are correct, but I also have my positioning flights SEA-DFW-LHR-RUH-LHR-DFW-SEA in J which is 18966 miles which is 28449 EQP for a total of 104601EQP.

Thanks for the warning though

I'll make sure to bring the printout and be prepared for some argument. Maybe if I get my F boarding pass for the return flight I can trick my way into the Concorde Room, though I feel they're probably smart enough to not allow that.

I'm purchasing the SEA-RUH-SEA tickets through AA but the LHR-RUH segments are BA flight numbers so I don't foresee that specific issue, at least. At least I have short layovers in RUH going both directions, and I assume that I'll be returning on the same plane, so don't have to worry about a misconnect raising the ire of Saudi immigration...

Would AA Canada ticket this trip for me? I'm in Vancouver frequently enough that it's not much of an issue to hop over to YVR, and the Canadian exception would allow me to purchase the ticket converted from SAR-CAD and then USD by my CC issuer , right?

If you can take advantage of the Canadian exception, and can get the AA RTW desk to setup your itinerary for ticketing in Vancouver, I expect that you'll find that the ex-RUH trip will be substantially cheaper than what is currently showing on the tool.

I hope that you are in possession of a credit card that has eliminated onerous FX add-ons. If not, I very much advise that you apply for one (i.e. Chase's BA, Hyatt, or Priority Club card, or Cap1). 3% of $11k is surely worth the trouble, and it will continue to save you lots while travelling.

P.S. I think that if you ask the AA RTW desk to choose the AA codeshare flight number for the HKG - JFK segment, that they'll be happy to facilitate the Vancouver ticketing.

They are issued by AA with AA (001) ticket numbers and the AA RTW desk handles changes, etc.

Wonderful! This is what I will do, if possible.

Yeah, I have a Capital One Debit Card for this very purpose. I'd love to have an actual credit card with one of those companies, but at 19 I won't be approved for any card without a cosigner AND nobody will give me an $11k+ limit as my 1040 doesn't exactly reflect my assets.
I understand that AA is paid a fee when I choose the AA codeshare of the CX flight, and am happy to support them, but what effect does this have when it comes to CX, other than the obvious lost revenue?

*Many pre-flight issues that might occur would need to be addressed with AA rather than CX, right?
*Once I get my boarding pass am I completely a CX pax? (You always check in with the operating carrier, no?)
*Does booking a codeshare affect me when it comes to compensation? For example, I know that CX will give very generous cash compensation to F pax who are forced into J due to equipment change. Would this not happen on a a codeshare?

And finally, other than to convince the AA RTW to ticket this itinerary, would you recommend (or not) using codeshares in general?

Thank you so much for all your valuable, detailed advice!

I don't know what "AA Canada" might be. There's only one AA RTW desk, and it's in the USA.

My understanding of the "Canada exception" rule was that since the advent of online e-ticketing this has become nearly a moot point, since by using the online tool you can pay the price applicable to the country of issue regardless of where you're sitting at the moment. If you were trying to get paper tickets, then I believe the RTW desk could set it up to have the reservation queued to a Canadian travel agent (not an AA station) who, based on some talks I had with one in Vancouver right about the time the online tool was launched, would charge a pretty hefty fee in order to write the tickets on an AA plate. When I asked for their most senior agent and started talking about xONEx issuance, she got very very quiet. I plainly was not speaking her language.

Now this is all swirling around in my head, and subject to my error, so I would certainly phone the RTW desk and get their official word on it.

On the matter of AA passing through BA (or QF) fuel surcharges, which usually represents the biggest part of the differential between AA- and BA-issued tickets, it would be good to hear of some recent experiences. Since the JBV was launched this autumn, AA has been passing through (to us, the had-ees) BA's fuel fines on e.g. award tickets. I don't know if this has extended to RTW tickets, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. My guess is that AA's rates desk that handles RTWs (used to be in Dublin, don't know if they're still doing it) would probably come up with pretty close numbers to those returned by the online tool. But do check it out - it could be serious money.

In my experience different airlines handle codeshare pax differently. I can't speak to CX, but on e.g. BA, who I've flown using AA and AY codes, you couldn't do OLCI and you couldn't pre-select seats, but once on board there was no difference. The boarding pass reflected the actual code, in case I needed it to claim lost miles or something.

On JL (AA codes) everything was the same as if it was a JL ticket.

Yes, you always check in with the operating carrier. In case of something going sideways, you deal short term with the operating airline, then later with the issuing airline, who will punt you in the general direction of the operating airline, who will refer you back to the issuing airline... get it?

Bottom line, I would personally only use codeshares if it had a significant impact on my mileage earning (e.g. Plat/EXP bonuses) or if it would kosher things with the RTW desk.

How long is the turnaround at RUH? In my experience, international transfer at RUH is not easy or quick.

When ticketing with AA, booking the HKG-JFK flight using the AA code could incur an AA fuel surcharge. However, booking that flight using the CX code will not.

Can you provide some additional details, please? I'm thinking about this for my next AONEx.

Airside transit was closed when I connected there, and I needed assistance from airline to get me through since I had no visa for Saudi Arabia. This took a bit of time. Fortunately I had a few hours to transfer so no danger of missing my onward flight.

Read more in the relevant part of trip report.

The turnaround in RUH is 100 minutes. Your trip report mentioned some sort of transit option (although you couldn't use it) that did not go through immigration. They probably just use the same airplane from the same gate to head back to LHR, right? Both flights operate from T1, at least. I think I'll call BA to ask about this once the call center calms down from the weather problems. The BA site won't book a return flight at RUH as their system enforces a 120 minute MCT.

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As Kiwi Flyer mentioned, the transit process at RUH is not the easiest, or at least it wasn't for me. My situation was a bit different as I was actually arriving without a visa (not just transiting; it's a long story) but I had the clear impression that even a quick transit would be confusing to ground staff and immigration officials, perhaps because so few people do it there.

Of course, YMMV and everything may be very smooth in your case. Looks like a fun itinerary and trip!

Still working on this trip, nothing booked yet. One interesting thing I just learned from speaking to the AA RTW desk is that they refuse to ticket any itinerary that doesn't use a flight operated and marketed by AA for one of the transoceanic sectors. Upthread someone suggested I ask about booking the AA codeshare on the CX HKG-JFK flight, and the agent said that wouldn't be acceptable. When I said that I thought it was Oneworld policy that they ticket any itinerary regardless the carriers, she said that that was not true and that the tariff department's transoceanic sector rule had been in place since last year

Just wanted to say I think your trip sounds absolutely incredible and hope you have a great time. $10000 sounds like a decent value considering the number of flights in F. I've been to almost all the places you're headed and if you have any questions I'd be happy to help. Good luck!