Assuming no large cost difference in getting to WDH, that's almost $1000 less than my CPT-LHR-BUD-DOH-LAX-****-CPT. What was your first airline and were you able to ticket using the online tool? That would be ever so much more valuable than even the cost saving, and even though I'm going to CPT anyway, it might have been well worth it to go to WDH to start if the hassle factor is less.

I'm in that camp as well, would be curious, even though really not interested in starting in WDH for any other reason .

Starting in WDH would require a Comair (BA) flight to JNB.

Alas the regional flight situation (or lack thereof at desired times) has made working through the options for a couple of days (not in JNB or surrounds) an interesting exercise. ATM I am hoping SA Express GBE-JNB will connect correctly with my CX flight (2:15 arrival to departure)

skunker - If you ticket exWDH, please let us know the agency etc.

Happy wandering

Fred

+1!!!! I'm starting to put together my next RTW now.

Actual prices from EF in USD:

AONE4: $6,217.21 ex-WDH vs. $5,920.28 ex-JNB

DONE4: $3,798.79 ex-WDH vs. $3,615.97 ex-JNB

Respectfully to all who may disagree/ have different priorities, but.. does anyone really care about that kind of price difference?

Or is everyone just looking for a starting point where everything can be done on-line, potentially (me too, for sure.) I assume the latter.

Two issues I see with having the AA RTW desk set things up: (1) reports have indicated that it is the AA RTW agents who have added notes to the PNR instructing that it only be ticketed with a S.A. credit card, so in my view it would be best to avoid this; (2) if the SA TA doesn't use Sabre, it can be dicey for them to take over an AA-initiated PNR. As for your second option (starting with the on-line tool to create a PNR), I suspect (but am not sure) that you could potentially run into issues depending on which GDS is the owner and which is used by the SA TA.

Can't the SA TA create and manually price it?

Could you use the online tool, set up your flights, then call your TA and have her enter the flights as you read them off, and ticket?

It doesn't "feel" that way to me thus far. My _hope_ is to get her up to speed a bit on these tickets and then throw her a lot of business. :) Using that last thing as an incentive for her to enthusiastically-- and very quickly-- get up to speed, if possible.

At that point, what purpose/role does using the online tool even serve/play?

That won't work as they would have to price it. If a TA manually prices a ticket they lose the support from the GDS if an airline comes after them for a debit memo.

If an airline prices it and saves the price quote in the PNR, then a TA could take it over and ticket. Whether an airline would allow a non-GSA TA to do that is another story.

Definitely the big question, that.

I also did this, in January last year. My (original) itinerary was CPT-xJNB-xDOH-EZE....BKK-AMM-TUN-DOH-CMN-DOH-NBO. Phoned BA in JNB and paid for it without any significant difficulties.

This is exactly how the old Canada Exception worked - get the AA RTW desk to set up the itinerary and price in the country of origin currency, you get the PNR and get a TA in Canada to ticket - converting the local currency price to CAD. I did this in 2012 for an ex-KRT DONE4

The Canadian TA I used back in 2012 was definitely NOT an AA GSA.

Don't you get a PNR code from the online tool? Just book it there and give your TA the PNR. I would imagine that you don't have to read the flights individually.

I believe you only get a PNR if the first flight is with BA (and you then have to phone BA in JNB to pay and get it ticketed)
If the first flight is with CX or QF then you'd pay as part of the on-line tool process (and I expect this is how it happens with IB which recommences JNB-MAD flights mid-year)
And if the first flight is with QR then you cannot set it up in the tool anyway

So, I'm gonna attempt this fool's errand :) and call AA ATW desk and see if they'll set up a itin ex-CPT (or PLZ) without hassle and then passing the PNR(s) along to this JNB-based TA. She's -quite- anxious for the business (good!) but seems to have never even heard of these fares (probably fatal.)

But on the off, off, off chance this system works in some way, will gladly and gleefully share any such result for, potentially, others to make use of. :)

Anyone have a person at AA RTW desk they might recommend? I emailed Sara Mills (very old email I had for her) and I remember another guy I used and liked (long gone, I'm sure-- "Ron" was it?) but I'll probably just see who I get and claim my toaster just caught fire if I don't like how the first 3 minutes of the conversation goes.

But as an alternative to my toaster-fire technique, if anyone has a recommendation, please PM. Thanks!

One other possible Hail Mary option. Phone Mindpearl in CPT (I will PM you the name of the agent there who was so easy to work with - comparable to Sara) and ask them if the wire transfer option you mentioned above would work. I'm still not convinced that isn't simply the foreign credit card issue that's hanging things up with Mindpearl, owing to forex and lag time/float risk.