Routing check please, DONE4.
 

Please will you chaps have a look over this.

JNB-LHR/LCY-JFK-ORD-LAS-LAX-SFO-LAX-MEL-AKL-MEL-CNS-MEL-(ground transport)-SYD-JNB

It's a valid routingIt uses 15 of the allowed 16 segments (as you no doubt know already the LHR-LCY and MEL-SYD surface segments both count towards the total)

So you have one left to play with - ideas:

• start from somewhere else in South Africa (e.g. CPT-JNB...)
• squeeze in one more Nth American segment (you are allowed up to six flights in that continent)
• have a European side-trip - fly LHR-XXX and then XXX-LCY; airline route mapper shows a number of ports serviced from both LHR and LCY for example NCE and ARN - you could even transit through LCY and thus avoid the UK APD tax on the trans-atlantic flight(e.g. ARN-xLCY-JFK)

MM say invalid: Rule violated!!!! [MEL-SYD] Max 4 segment(s): Southwest Pacific. As above "MEL-SYD surface segments both count towards the total"
http://www.slfft.org/mm/award.htm?ow...y#.T-jx_pERI0M

I thought we decided and confirmed awhile back that surface segments don't count against the total flight segments within each continent.
From the rules (emphasis in original):

Yes: you are correct (I think) Changed a "- " to a " , "
MM now states valid. http://www.slfft.org/mm/award.htm?ow...y#.T-kJfZERI0M

LAS-LAX-SFO are short flights, so not getting much benefit from D (that's not the FT way !)

Unfortunately time is not a luxury I have for long segments.

It also leaves me 3000 miles short of my EXP membership.

Going LHR-LAX and JFK-SYD increases the distance.
How many airports are stops / how many transits ?

Pretty much all stops.

Does this routing suffice?

JNB-LHR-SFO-LAX(transit)-LAS-ORD-JFK-LAX(transit)-MEL-AKL-MEL-CNS-MEL-(ground transport)/SYD-JNB.

If I take the routing where I fly into SFO I will also make AA EXP, but if I fly into New York I will take BA001/003 which seems really cool. So my options are fly out of LCY or make AA Exp.

Which one should I take?

Well it adds around 4000 mi, so if that's what it takes for EXP, so be it.

However

JNB-LHR-xBCN-xLCY-JFK-SFO-LAX-LAS-ORD-LAX-MEL-AKL-MEL-CNS-MEL/SYD-JNB

adds another few hundred miles to that, keeps the LCY-JFK flight, and saves a bunch of money on UK APD since BCN-xLCY-JFK would involve a transit at London. You'd pay the low rate APD on the LHR-BCN flight, much less than the longhaul APD you'd pay on LCY-JFK. You could easily take a morning LHR-BCN flight, turn around and be back at LCY in plenty of time to make BA3, the later LCY-JFK departure, so you wouldn't even lose a day. I'm sure the same thing could work with other shorthaul destinations served by both LHR and LCY, such as AMS or FRA.