After the booking tool screwed up on me, I contacted Cathay Pacific Japan about my ex Tokyo DONE3. There were some delays and problems involved. (Most of the delays were due to their wanting passport details before issue for Qatar APIS and my passport being renewed during the quote process.)

There were some cases where I had to correct their understanding of the rules (eg US transcon cities and D booking into A on 2 class flights in NA), but the ticket is now issued with everything dealt with over email.

CX lists email contacts for most of their offices around the world on their website.
Might be a way to get tickets issued "remotely" in the future.

Did you check their taxes-and-fees calculation? They took c/c payment via email?

(Deleted)

Appreciate the report.
Do you have CX on your first flight (or was it QR)? Wonder why you did not use AA as ticket issuer.

It would be nice if ticket process can be all handled by email.

First flight is CX HND-HKG.

Did they collect payment and issue the ticket via email as well? (Did you send CC details via email?)

Yes.
Well, I took a photo of the card and sent that. The card I used is a rechargeable mastercard which only had enough loaded to cover the cost of the ticket.
CX also requires sighting of the card used for payment at check in or at an office before hand (they do that even if the booking tool works).

The last time I used AA to issue the ticket was when the Canadian Exception was still around and AA attempted to charge me for an AONE3 when I was getting a DONE3.

Thanks for feedback.

Anybody know if CX or AA via their RTW desk would be preferable for booking a DONE5 ex Cairo? There are a couple of longhaul CX segments in my route, one of which could turn into an AA codeshare if necessary.

You might consider using AA's GSA in CAI, Emeco. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...-ex-cairo.html

Just got off the phone with an AA RTW CSR . Goal was to get my ex-NRT DONE3 validated (tried the online tool in vain ) and priced in JPY. If validated, then to be ticketed in Japan.

The CSR didn�t sound experienced at all (for starter, she did not know UL is in ow; did not know its airline code). This is quite a contrast of my prior experience with the RTW desk (I�ve done a few xONEx so far). Some other info that I got from her, if true, may affect others on this board.

1. She claimed that I MUST have all dates chosen for my 16 flights before she would send to the rate desk (albeit she said I could change them later). Since I have the first 3 flights with dates certain, the rest are open. She validated the itin verbally and gave me US price of $10,109 plus taxes & airline imposed fees.
2. When I insisted on having itin sent to rate desk (politely but firm) and be priced in JPY, She said they would not accept it. She went on, get this, to convert the US$ fare (inclusive of taxes & fees of approx. US$12,000+) to JPY for me. I thanked her and hung up.

Are these post-merger new rules? Anyone else has this experience?

Like they said around FT, if you don�t like what you hear, ring them up again for another CSR. But before I do that, I want to see if others have same problems/issues.

1. Since mandatory e-ticketing was instituted (maybe 4 or 5 years ago?) all the dates have to be booked before issue. Just use dummy dates and change them (no charge) when you know what ones to use.

2. Have you tried using the online tool? It might save a lot of pain. Yes, it's buggy, but once you've got it, you're good to go. Or, even if you do a minimal itinerary, just mentally add $125 to the total so that you can have it expanded and re-issued once you have the full dates and plan. You can circumvent the RTW desk, even if it means you have to deal with some other airline at the re-issue point.

What's your itinerary and timing? We can probably "validate" it here quicker than AA.

Yes, the RTW desk has had quite a lot of personnel turnover and some of the agents are quite clueless.

This is in complete contrast to my experience last week where one of the AA RTW desk staff quickly and efficiently put a xCIRCxx itinerary together (which I knew was going to be 100% correct and just less than the mileage limit) and found an error in another existing itinerary and had that sorted quickly as well. YMMV.