Ticketing xONEx fares starting in Japan
 

I'm planning to do a DONE3 ex-NRT, and was planning to book through the AA RTW desk and then have it priced in JPY, then call the AA number in Japan and do it over the phone.

There were a few threads on FT that mention that AA NRT insists that you have to pay in person on the day of flying, but those threads were old. Can you do it via phone these days and do they have any problems with international credit cards?

I did an ex-HND DONE3 last year. Issued by CX Japan. All sorted out via email.

Where do you email them, and is it advantageous to go via CX instead of AA? I have more experience with the AA ATW desk so was thinking them, and also for fuel surcharge reasons - but is there a better deal with CX?

There are email addresses for a number of CX offices on the CX website contact page. Most are for baggage services, but some also include ticketing/sales. Biggest issue (that wasn't passport renewal related) was their confusing IAH for IAD and claiming it was a second transcon from LAX. Quickly sorted once I pointed it out.

My last experience with the AA RTW desk was when the rules still allowed for tickets issued in Canada at the departure country price (in my case a YYZ issued, ex-ICN, KRW fared, CAD priced, DONE3). They tried to charge me for an AONE3 instead of a DONE3.

What's KRW fared?

KRW = South Korean Won

If, for some reason, you can't use the online tool to set up and issue the ticket, then have the AA RTW desk set it up and then call AA in Tokyo to have it issued. AA RTW number is 1-800-247-3247. AA Tokyo number is +81 034 3337675.

We're currently in the middle of a DONE4 ex-NRT. I would have done it online (if the first flight had been on AA) but our first flight was on AY (to HEL) and I wanted to have it issued by AA (as it's easier to call AA if you subsequently need to change dates etc.). I had no issues with getting it issued (by phone) by AA in Tokyo.

Awesome. That was what I was hoping to hear. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Ticketing xONEx fares starting in Japan
 

I arranged an DONE4 with the AA RTW world desk. Called the Japan office to pay and they said a Japan mailing address was required. They refused to take payment on my US based credit card.

I find this strange since the online tool (which chokes on my itinerary) doesn't care where my mailing address is (at least I think that is the case).

Has anybody had recent success booking from Japan?

Yes, a number of times.

What is the first flight you're trying to book via the online tool? If its a JL operated or JL coded AA flight, then the tool tends to fail.
The tool takes the code of the first flight and sends the itinerary to that airline for ticketing. Some airlines ticket for others, eg, AA tickets for RJ and JL.
There is a bug in the tool where it tends to fail when one airline tickets for another.
My first DONE3 ex Tokyo was when QF still issued for JL (this changed to AA when the AA/JL transpac JV started), the tool worked then. The tool has changed software since then. Other times, I've had to change some flights in order for the tool to work - eg, routing HND-HKG-JFK instead of NRT-JFK.

The AA Japan office ticketed an AONE for me last year over the phone with a billing address in the UK on an itinerary set up by the RTW desk.

The on-line tool fails because the first flight is on JL.

The phone agent pulled up my record and the first question she asked was "is the mailing address of your credit card in Japan"? So they seem quite aware of the "rule" (whatever the rule really is).

I wonder if they would have accepted my US credit card as a walk-up to the counter in Japan?

They certainly have for me.

The rule doesn't say anything about where the card is from, its about where the ticket is issued.

Rule or no rule, they are enforcing it. I have talked to many agents and supervisors and they won't budge. I explain that I am buying the ticket by phone because the on-line planner fails when the first flight is on JAL - I am just trying to replicate what the planner should be doing. I also explain that they will take my US card at the counter. All to no avail.

If I call a generic AA agent in the US and ask about the status of my itinerary (why is it still "on request"?), the agent is quick to tell me that the ticket will not be issued at the Japanese price because I do not have a card with a Japan address. I assume from this that the restriction is written in bold in my PNR record. I am not sure who put this into my record since one of the agents I talked to (not the first) did take my credit card details.

Will next try to e-mail CX Japan, although routing through HKG will require me to use up a precious segment.