I agree that ticketing with LAN would be the better option with regard to avoiding the fuel fines

I was just giving the OP options with my suggestion for getting AA to ticket.
With regard to that, do you think AA would ticket, if its only segment is LAX-DEN?

They will if you press the matter. They won't like it and will suggest booking with another airline or using an AA code somewhere (such as using AA6169 on DEN-LHR).

It's 4. AKL-SYD-HBA-SYD-NOU.


As for booking codeshares, I was about to save around $300 on my last DONE3 by booking MAD-LHR-DXB with IB codes instead of BA codes.

up, AA would ticket it, but still better to get LA to do it imo

Are there any downsides to having LA do xONEx ticketing?

I've only purchased non-xONEx tickets from LA, and then only 4-5 times, all two or more years ago, but each time there were various odd ticket issues which could only get ironed out during airport check-in (i.e. never over the phone or online). Have people had good experiences with xONEx itineraries ticketed by them, and are these positive experiences of recent vintage? TIA!

Stopping or transiting at Iquique? SCL-IQQ-LPB is using the same flight number unless something has changed lately so I would imagine that it can count as one or two segments depending on the routing.

Are you just transiting at Lima? I'm asking this as it's very common to visit Cusco Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley etc) and Puno (Lake Titicaca). Both cities are much closer to La Paz and surface sector between La Paz and Juliaca (closest airport to Puno) or Cuzco would make more sense than to fly Cusco/Juliaca (Puno) via Lima.

Is that a fact that LAN collects different surcharges on BA sectors than what AA will collect on behalf of BA?

If that really is the case then I would definitely look into it.

Yes. AA collects surcharges for BA sectors whilst LA does not ( or at lease was not 6 months ago). If planning to have BA sectors on the itinerary, then LA has potential to save money. Depends on how much BA travel to how much it is worth it, but last one I arranged had BA for YYZ-LHR-CDG-LHR-SYD so a fair amount of surcharges

organised one for 6 people a few months ago. I made sure that all the sectors had availability and then contacted them and got it done. Was pretty painless and all worked ok

I've been putting together a DONE5 ex. JNB going west and as you can imagine there are many forced flights on BA. The Tax+surcharges have been significant up to 40% of the fare price.

Thank you and I will definitely look into having it issued by LAN. I just wish there was a way to price it and play with it online.

I wanted to visit Salar de Uyuni, and I thought I could access it from Iquique, but I am not completly sure. Do you know if it is possible?

Thanks to Pandaperth, I added Cuzco to my itinerary and took Denver out (I didn't know the limit was 4 flying sectors, and not 4 sectors).

I called Lan yesterday to get a quote and the gentleman asked me to send it an e-mail with the flights I wanted. I am waiting for the reply :-)

Wow, I had no idea you could avoid BA's outrageous surcharges this way! Usually I book with AA and work very hard to get BA flights on codeshares (which often requires adding undesired segments).

What's the best way to contact LA to book an xONEx, and does it matter which country one lives in or is starting from?

I do this a lot and usually resort to wasting segments on unwanted connections that allow the BA flights to be booked as codeshares.

I offered suggestions on a slightly different situation in Post #10, (Option #3 is the one most pertinent to your plans) in the thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-aa-miles.html

Essentially you will need to get to San Pedro de Atacama and while Iquique (and Antofagasta) are on the coast, Calama is the airport you'd want as it is closest to San Pedro, albeit you can still make it to San Pedro from Iquique, but it'll take longer. Also remember, the trip into Bolivia is a multi-day trip but showcases the otherworldly Reserva Eduardo Avaroa on the way there and back.

Just do a Google search and it should return a bunch of operators you could take. Finally, be reminded that it is not an easy trip, and it is really quite a luck of the draw whether all goes well or you end up with a lousy driver/ vehicle. The risk of "bloqueo"s in Bolivia is ever present - these are road blocks erected as part of political or other demonstrations which completely shut down roads and access to towns. I planned the trip twice in the reverse direction (from Uyuni). The first time, a bloqueo prevented me from getting on the road at all from Uyuni. So I had to plan the whole thing a second time - and this time, everything was smooth (and the experience was obviously unforgettable, and cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world). All the major guidebooks explicate these warnings in great detail, so read up before you go and keep your ear to the ground.

None of this should make you even think of NOT doing it -- the only thing worse than getting stuck in Uyuni is not experiencing the trip at all, so by all means, plan, but keep a day or two as a buffer in case things get delayed. You don't want to miss your flight out of the area.

Bosboy73, thank you very much for your reply!

How long would you consider to go from Calama to Lima, visiting Salar de Uyuni, La Paz, Cuzco and the Macchu Pichu (and anything worth seeing around)?

For the moment, I should arrive on the 12th of May around 4:00pm and leave Lima on the 22th but it is probaly too short...

Given the 10 days you have tentatively scheduled:

- You could get to San Pedro the same day after you land in Calama. There is a shuttle or taxi that is a little expensive but very efficient. I think there may be buses also but obviously will be less frequent and you may have to make a couple of stops.

- If you have an extra day in San Pedro, do not miss the El Tatio Geysers. The trip leaves in the morning (around 3:30 AM or so - I can't remember that well, it's been 6-7 years!) but it is a unique thermal wonderland like Yellowstone and New Zealand's North Island. Remember that the activity is most visibly intense at sunrise that's why the tours get there well under the cover of darkness.

- I think it would take 3 days to get to Uyuni on the tour from San Pedro. Assuming everything does well (note my warnings), you can catch an overnight bus to La Paz the same evening after you arrive in Uyuni. There are things to do on the way to La Paz though, Potosi and Sucre are stunning colonial cities and World Heritage Sites but only if you have the time.

- Again, there are things to do around La Paz. You could go to the Yungas, and travel down the "Most Dangerous Road in the World" where scores of people died as countless buses and other vehicles plunged down thousands of feet into the valleys because the roads have no railings and sheer dropoffs. It's an adrenaline pumping experience, and the scenery is simply and literally "off the cliff" because you can see the Andes drop precipitously down to the Amazon basin. Phenomenal.

- I mentioned earlier how you might choose to get from La Paz to Titicaca or Arica in Chile. Essentially you would do one of the three options in reverse as noted in my previous post http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-aa-miles.html , my favorite being the Lauca-Sajama option through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. If you do this, you can keep going North from Arica to Tacna and then to the colonial gem of Arequipa, another World Heritage Site, and the Colca Canyon. From Arequipa airport, I think it's either a nonstop or 1-stop flight to Cuzco. If you do the Titicaca option, you should obviously take a tour of Isla Taquile and the Uros Floating Islands and then head to the airport in Juliaca, where again it's either a nonstop or 1-stop flight to Cuzco. HOWEVER -- with the time you have, you will likely not be able to do both options.

- Once you get to Cuzco, it's pretty much down the beaten track. A day in the city and then the train to MP, overnight in MP and back the next day. You can try walking a part of the Inca Trail but that will add a day or two. In Lima, a day would be sufficient? It's a big city so pretty much as charming or charmless as any other big city. It's not all bad - the historic center, which is another World Heritage treasure, is worth a look, as is Miraflores (never been but have heard), and the coastal area where you can go hang gliding or other such stuff.

You could hit many of the high points as I have noted in 10 days, but you will have to hustle. If you want to take it easy, you could spend several weeks! Pick out the experiences you think you might find most exciting and plan your time around them.

Don't forget a buffer day or two in case things go wrong. Things in Chile generally run on time, except if there's a volcano which suddenly decides that its siesta is over and blows its insides (which has been happening with increasing frequency over the last few years, and has pretty much shut down airports and flights at short notice all over the south of the country). In Bolivia, everything can go wrong all of the time (seriously!) but generally only one thing goes wrong in one day. Be optimistic! Peru is much better, but still touch-and-go. Low cloud ceiling can delay or cancel the Cuzco flights as I understand the approach can be a bit tricky. But generally, buses are efficient and comfortable. The MP train and the service hamlet of Agua Calientes is almost entirely tourism oriented, so you shouldn't have many issues in that department.

It's been a while since I was last in the area so if I don't have an answer I'll tell you where to look if you have other questions.

'Njoy.

Thank you very much! I have change a bit my program and I have now 2 weeks to do it, that seems a very nice trip :-)

Check out visitchile.com We did a 4 day small vehicle tour Arica to San Pedro. This covered amazing scenery and was quite good value for money. Had a local driver and an English speaking guide. Both guys were good company and very competent. After San Pedro, it was a simple task to take the bus to Calama airport - all the hotels in San Pedro should know its schedule.