Optimizing the North American DONE4 section
#18




Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MEX
Posts: 1,030
Last time I booked a RTW QR's presence wasn't as great so I'd try to sneak in a USA-DOH if possible, before continuing on to Europe or South Africa.
#19
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#20



Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 632
Arriving in Los Angeles you could do LAX-ATL-PHX-ANC-IAH-BOS-LAX. The ANC-IAH and IAH-BOS are direct flights. Direct flights change all the time. This is a way you could get 150 instead of 120 on a third segment. The dates I looked at were in December.
#21




Join Date: Jan 2006
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Though I wish they were! ANC-DFW is seasonal, while ANC-PHX is all year round (I think).
#22
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These come and go, for example RNO-JFK or SMF-JFK both used to turn up pretty often. It seems like US was/is more inclined to do this; I seem to recall I was on a SEA-PHL US flight (don't remember when, I do it pretty often) where the FAs announced that the flight was continuing on to Europe someplace, obviously with an equipment change in PHL.
They're almost never good in the reverse direction, e.g. IAH-ANC.
#23



Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 632
In December AA511 goes direct ANC-IAH via PHX and AA1716 goes direct IAH-BOS via PHL. Counts as one segment on OW RTW tickets unless they have changed the rules. The flight schedules change so often that there are lots of direct flights you would never suspect unless you check. Lots of time they are only in one direction between city pairs but can make for excellent SC , TP , and 12,000 mile AA bonus on a DONE ticket.
EDIT - Sorry Gardyloo I was typing while you were posting
EDIT - Sorry Gardyloo I was typing while you were posting
#24
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
No, ANC-IAH and IAH-BOS are both in the timetable for December. Both have stops (PHX and PHL respectively) but carry the same flight number on both sectors. They're perfectly legit for use with RTW tickets. You get the city pair miles, not the point-to-point.
These come and go, for example RNO-JFK or SMF-JFK both used to turn up pretty often. It seems like US was/is more inclined to do this; I seem to recall I was on a SEA-PHL US flight (don't remember when, I do it pretty often) where the FAs announced that the flight was continuing on to Europe someplace, obviously with an equipment change in PHL.
They're almost never good in the reverse direction, e.g. IAH-ANC.
These come and go, for example RNO-JFK or SMF-JFK both used to turn up pretty often. It seems like US was/is more inclined to do this; I seem to recall I was on a SEA-PHL US flight (don't remember when, I do it pretty often) where the FAs announced that the flight was continuing on to Europe someplace, obviously with an equipment change in PHL.
They're almost never good in the reverse direction, e.g. IAH-ANC.
#25
Original Poster


Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: qantas platinum (OWE), hyatt platinum, hertz gold
Posts: 207
No, ANC-IAH and IAH-BOS are both in the timetable for December. Both have stops (PHX and PHL respectively) but carry the same flight number on both sectors. They're perfectly legit for use with RTW tickets. You get the city pair miles, not the point-to-point.
These come and go, for example RNO-JFK or SMF-JFK both used to turn up pretty often. It seems like US was/is more inclined to do this; I seem to recall I was on a SEA-PHL US flight (don't remember when, I do it pretty often) where the FAs announced that the flight was continuing on to Europe someplace, obviously with an equipment change in PHL.
They're almost never good in the reverse direction, e.g. IAH-ANC.
These come and go, for example RNO-JFK or SMF-JFK both used to turn up pretty often. It seems like US was/is more inclined to do this; I seem to recall I was on a SEA-PHL US flight (don't remember when, I do it pretty often) where the FAs announced that the flight was continuing on to Europe someplace, obviously with an equipment change in PHL.
They're almost never good in the reverse direction, e.g. IAH-ANC.
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Nov 2004
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SC Earn with Qantas Partner Airlines:
Intra USA Shorthaul: 0-750 miles: D: 30 A: 40
Others:
751-1500: D: 60 A:90
1501-2500: D: 80 A:120
2501-3500: D: 100 A:150
Frequent Flyer - Flying Qantas & Partner Airlines - Flying with Partner Airlines - Earning Qantas Points
Intra USA Shorthaul: 0-750 miles: D: 30 A: 40
Others:
751-1500: D: 60 A:90
1501-2500: D: 80 A:120
2501-3500: D: 100 A:150
Frequent Flyer - Flying Qantas & Partner Airlines - Flying with Partner Airlines - Earning Qantas Points
#27
Original Poster


Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: qantas platinum (OWE), hyatt platinum, hertz gold
Posts: 207
Thanks ANC305
The DONE5 is now ticketed and the advice you gave LAX-ATL-PHX-ANC-IAH-BOS-LAX has been implemented and will help me a lot in terms of SC's and FFP's with Qantas.
Much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
#28
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: qantas platinum (OWE), hyatt platinum, hertz gold
Posts: 207
So what happened next?
Well 2 weeks out I decided that staying in Egypt for 10 days was not such a good idea. So I call the RTW desk to change the dates, so I get a weekend in Cairo. But now those direct flights in the USA are no longer direct. Which means now I have 18 segments, but through no fault of my own. The booking subsequently cannot be re-ticketed.
The advice from the RTW desk is fly the segments up until I get to the states. There will then be less than 16 remaining and get it re-ticketed then. Does that sound alright to the experts on this board?
Well 2 weeks out I decided that staying in Egypt for 10 days was not such a good idea. So I call the RTW desk to change the dates, so I get a weekend in Cairo. But now those direct flights in the USA are no longer direct. Which means now I have 18 segments, but through no fault of my own. The booking subsequently cannot be re-ticketed.
The advice from the RTW desk is fly the segments up until I get to the states. There will then be less than 16 remaining and get it re-ticketed then. Does that sound alright to the experts on this board?
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Jan 2007
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Starting an AONE4 on Thursday. The U.S. portion is [NRT-] JFK-LAX-ORD-SJU-ORD-SFO [-LHR]. Mileage accrual will be pretty good, plus 12K bonus miles for JFK-LAX. Can't do the sixth segment here because I need it elsewhere where it yields more miles.
SFO-LHR and LHR-JNB are both scheduled to be 744s, probably my last flights on my favorite aircraft.
SFO-LHR and LHR-JNB are both scheduled to be 744s, probably my last flights on my favorite aircraft.
#30
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
So what happened next?
Well 2 weeks out I decided that staying in Egypt for 10 days was not such a good idea. So I call the RTW desk to change the dates, so I get a weekend in Cairo. But now those direct flights in the USA are no longer direct. Which means now I have 18 segments, but through no fault of my own. The booking subsequently cannot be re-ticketed.
The advice from the RTW desk is fly the segments up until I get to the states. There will then be less than 16 remaining and get it re-ticketed then. Does that sound alright to the experts on this board?
Well 2 weeks out I decided that staying in Egypt for 10 days was not such a good idea. So I call the RTW desk to change the dates, so I get a weekend in Cairo. But now those direct flights in the USA are no longer direct. Which means now I have 18 segments, but through no fault of my own. The booking subsequently cannot be re-ticketed.
The advice from the RTW desk is fly the segments up until I get to the states. There will then be less than 16 remaining and get it re-ticketed then. Does that sound alright to the experts on this board?
One of the last LONE4s I had (before I changed to combined DAS13 + DONE3) was booked as 16 sectors. The last sector was to be NRT-MEL. A few weeks after it was ticketed, QF cancelled NRT-MEL, and I was rerouted NRT-SYD-MEL and got a 17th sector. It was reissued on paper.
Part way through the trip, there were political issues starting in Thailand which lead to riots in BKK - one of my asian stops. It was to be AU-US-EU-LHR-BKK-SIN-JP. By the time I reached Spain, a dozen governments had issued travel warnings for Thailand and half the members of oneworld had wavers in place.
I had the ticket changed to skip the BKK stop and go right to SIN from LHR. Remaining flights were reissued to an e-ticket and I was told to keep the remaining paper coupons to give to the travel agent upon return. (of course BA still insisting on taking the paper coupon even though it wasn't valid anymore)

