Jun 5, 2025, 12:53 am
Oneworld booking and pricing experiences
Apr 3, 2024 | 3:43 pm
#1996
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: HKG
Programs: Marriott Ambassador (Titanium Lifetime), BA GfL, EK Gold, HH Diamond, Ex-BD*G
Posts: 3,736
And perhaps I was being too generous on the agent, but since the first one I called basically said BA didn't do them anymore, and my last two RTW flights have been ticketed by QF and CX, I have low expectations....
Apr 3, 2024 | 3:52 pm
#1997
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: HKG
Programs: Marriott Ambassador (Titanium Lifetime), BA GfL, EK Gold, HH Diamond, Ex-BD*G
Posts: 3,736
Have you downloaded the rules?
OW https://www.oneworld.com/world-travel
FAQ
Read on for Round The World rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:
one World Explorer
Global Explorer
Circle Pacific
You only have 12 segments, and some of those are short (MAN, HBA). Not the most efficient for a DONE4. Or a AONE4?
A map from the Great Circle Mapper - Great Circle Mapper
OW https://www.oneworld.com/world-travel
FAQ
Read on for Round The World rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:
one World Explorer
Global Explorer
Circle Pacific
You only have 12 segments, and some of those are short (MAN, HBA). Not the most efficient for a DONE4. Or a AONE4?
A map from the Great Circle Mapper - Great Circle Mapper
I had looked at the rules and didn't find anything that justified the agent, so hence double checking experiences. This is only my 4th RTW so I'm still experimenting
, the first one had a HKG-SFO-JFK-AUS-LHR backtrack to get a few more US segments in, and fair to say the pleasure of the transcontinental was outweighed by the pain of the JFK-AUS flight which was delayed by 6 hours Oh and I've got the full rules via expert flyer too.
Apr 4, 2024 | 6:57 am
#1998
Join Date: Sep 2023
Posts: 25
It does sound quite high. My DONE5 has base fare of 145,000 EGP (Converted to 4680 AUD). Total YQ AUD 1839.60, Total YR AUD 146.4 and Total taxes AUD 603. Your YQ sounds similar, but that Insurance surcharge really makes a difference.
Mine is all QR and JL codes on long segments with one domestic AA and AS. I don't know where this perception is coming from that QR's YQ is high, this is my 3rd itinerary that is heavy on QR segments but two of those are ex-Japan without YQ. But while building this one I didn't get the impression QR is high. It seems to be that BA and QF are the worst offenders and I think CX is a bit on the high side for long hauls as well.
I do remember when playing around with itineraries, MH and CX jacked it up quite a bit and having the initial RJ segment was more than just QR to DOH (but don't recall exactly how much more since you can't test that in the tool, want to say around AUD 100 or 150).
I'm curious about your Airline Insurance Surcharge mentioned, that's steep and my only guess is that it's coming from IB since that's your only long segment you have that I don't, but guess it could be any of BA, IB, CX, or MH. It's the first time I've heard of it on a QF issued ticket, the only other mention I recall was on a JL issued one.
Pull your itinerary on the Finnair site and download the eticket (it's under passenger information on the left side). It gives you a full breakdown of the fees on the ticket (though it doesn't break down which airline YQ and YR is assigned to, which I'd love to know).
Egypt is responsible for a huge number of the taxes and fees, but they don't add up to a whole lot, maybe AUD 50-60 total. Qatar's sting @ AUD174 since I transit there so many times and the US is pretty high (AUD139) having 2 international arrivals and departures.
Mine is all QR and JL codes on long segments with one domestic AA and AS. I don't know where this perception is coming from that QR's YQ is high, this is my 3rd itinerary that is heavy on QR segments but two of those are ex-Japan without YQ. But while building this one I didn't get the impression QR is high. It seems to be that BA and QF are the worst offenders and I think CX is a bit on the high side for long hauls as well.
I do remember when playing around with itineraries, MH and CX jacked it up quite a bit and having the initial RJ segment was more than just QR to DOH (but don't recall exactly how much more since you can't test that in the tool, want to say around AUD 100 or 150).
I'm curious about your Airline Insurance Surcharge mentioned, that's steep and my only guess is that it's coming from IB since that's your only long segment you have that I don't, but guess it could be any of BA, IB, CX, or MH. It's the first time I've heard of it on a QF issued ticket, the only other mention I recall was on a JL issued one.
Pull your itinerary on the Finnair site and download the eticket (it's under passenger information on the left side). It gives you a full breakdown of the fees on the ticket (though it doesn't break down which airline YQ and YR is assigned to, which I'd love to know).
Egypt is responsible for a huge number of the taxes and fees, but they don't add up to a whole lot, maybe AUD 50-60 total. Qatar's sting @ AUD174 since I transit there so many times and the US is pretty high (AUD139) having 2 international arrivals and departures.
I thought QR charges high YQ because it has steep cost when I redeem QR flights via asiamiles, but I now agree with you that IB could be the only reason (Never heard of it, I even tried to avoid LHR to avoid the departure tax but it seems that I am wrong).
Regarding travel insurance fee and YR, my only guess is that I have 2 transits in one ticket point/bundle with different carriers, so that airlines need insurance to cover mis-connection and charge more (I am just making this up, as this is the first time I focus on YR and YQ). Next time, if I make less transits but more stopovers, plus book multiple flights in one bundle under same airline code, would that lower down the insurance fee and YR?
Apr 4, 2024 | 10:10 am
#1999
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NRT / HND
Programs: AA EXP, A3 Gold, Former UA 1K
Posts: 6,365
Thx for your reply! Finnair site does work, and I finally get one proper CX/AY style e-ticket and can ditch the QF one now. Upon checking, my YQ total is 980+1540=2420AUD, YR total is 380+95=475AUD.
I thought QR charges high YQ because it has steep cost when I redeem QR flights via asiamiles, but I now agree with you that IB could be the only reason (Never heard of it, I even tried to avoid LHR to avoid the departure tax but it seems that I am wrong).
Regarding travel insurance fee and YR, my only guess is that I have 2 transits in one ticket point/bundle with different carriers, so that airlines need insurance to cover mis-connection and charge more (I am just making this up, as this is the first time I focus on YR and YQ). Next time, if I make less transits but more stopovers, plus book multiple flights in one bundle under same airline code, would that lower down the insurance fee and YR?
I thought QR charges high YQ because it has steep cost when I redeem QR flights via asiamiles, but I now agree with you that IB could be the only reason (Never heard of it, I even tried to avoid LHR to avoid the departure tax but it seems that I am wrong).
Regarding travel insurance fee and YR, my only guess is that I have 2 transits in one ticket point/bundle with different carriers, so that airlines need insurance to cover mis-connection and charge more (I am just making this up, as this is the first time I focus on YR and YQ). Next time, if I make less transits but more stopovers, plus book multiple flights in one bundle under same airline code, would that lower down the insurance fee and YR?
BTW if you're curious about what all the airport fees and tax codes are, this is a really good site, they have almost all of them: The first several are all Egypt.
Also what you pay in surcharges on revenue or redemption flights doesn't calculate the same on a RTW. That ends up depending on the ticketing carrier and point of origin. Each RTW ticketing carrier has a different way to charge YQ on partners and point of origin also matters, for example ex-TYO has no YQ at all (at least on QF and CX tickets), only YR which tends to run in the $300-600 range.
Apr 5, 2024 | 2:29 am
#2000
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: HKG
Programs: Marriott Ambassador (Titanium Lifetime), BA GfL, EK Gold, HH Diamond, Ex-BD*G
Posts: 3,736
As to why, let's presume it was the truth, BA called back and said..
1. Their agents have to price the exact itinerary on the RTW website first, and only if it gives a valid quote will they give it to ticketing (aka they can't work around bugs, or the lack of QF/CX availability)
2. They will no longer allow GUVs on RTW tickets (not written down as far as I can tell)
So that made my entire cunning plan redundant, and I'll revert back to better carriers than BA. Their loss, but hopefully AAs gain! (is there a list of the expectations for AA to ticket it and any other tips guide like when to call, and the number, somewhere?)
Apr 5, 2024 | 1:10 pm
#2001
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 16,677
So, jerry a. laska, maybe you could remind me of the rules to book via AA, are codeshares going to be OK for them to agree to ticket my flights... As ideally I'd fly across the Atlantic with QR and the Pacific with CX.
As to why, let's presume it was the truth, BA called back and said..
1. Their agents have to price the exact itinerary on the RTW website first, and only if it gives a valid quote will they give it to ticketing (aka they can't work around bugs, or the lack of QF/CX availability)
2. They will no longer allow GUVs on RTW tickets (not written down as far as I can tell)
So that made my entire cunning plan redundant, and I'll revert back to better carriers than BA. Their loss, but hopefully AAs gain! (is there a list of the expectations for AA to ticket it and any other tips guide like when to call, and the number, somewhere?)
As to why, let's presume it was the truth, BA called back and said..
1. Their agents have to price the exact itinerary on the RTW website first, and only if it gives a valid quote will they give it to ticketing (aka they can't work around bugs, or the lack of QF/CX availability)
2. They will no longer allow GUVs on RTW tickets (not written down as far as I can tell)
So that made my entire cunning plan redundant, and I'll revert back to better carriers than BA. Their loss, but hopefully AAs gain! (is there a list of the expectations for AA to ticket it and any other tips guide like when to call, and the number, somewhere?)
Apr 5, 2024 | 6:04 pm
#2002
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA ExPl, BA Gold, DL Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, probably some others
Posts: 4,935
AA RTW desk: 800-247-3247. Usually they require at least one of the intercontinental overwater segments to be on AA metal; AA codeshares on other metal often used to be able to meet this requirement; iirc, some people have reported recently that a codeshare wasn't acceptable while others seemed to be able to book without any AA overwater segments (maybe the atlantic and pacific joint ventures have something to do with this). There have been lots of reports about people booking with AA RTW desks in this thread and the various other sticky threads that people seem to randomly post to in the forum. You might want to read back in those forums for a bit.
Apr 5, 2024 | 7:31 pm
#2003
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QRPC PLT/OW EMD; Bonvoy LT Titanium
Posts: 14,571
Apr 5, 2024 | 8:50 pm
#2004
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NRT / HND
Programs: AA EXP, A3 Gold, Former UA 1K
Posts: 6,365
I'd assume meaning that some AA elites have gotten away with ticketing with minimal AA segments. That's a huge advantage (no pun intended) for AA members since we take a massive hit on LPs and RDMs earned on AA codes on a RTW.
I do recall one poster not too long ago with a base member getting away with using MIA-SCL as their AA coded flight to get AA tickets, which I would be ok with since the only AA operated codeshare I can find to anywhere in South America is the GRU flights from JFK and DFW (JL codes). So basically anywhere else in South America requires an AA code anyway, it's a necessary evil to go there to / from North America. In the past there were JL codes on GIG too, I flew on JL coded JFK-GIG-JFK in early 2020, but can't find it anymore. (*edit, it is still there, but JFK-GIG only operates in the North American winter season it appears, and JL doesn't put their code on MIA flights which makes sense but also oddly not the DFW-GIG flights which also reappear in winter, only JFK)
I do recall one poster not too long ago with a base member getting away with using MIA-SCL as their AA coded flight to get AA tickets, which I would be ok with since the only AA operated codeshare I can find to anywhere in South America is the GRU flights from JFK and DFW (JL codes). So basically anywhere else in South America requires an AA code anyway, it's a necessary evil to go there to / from North America. In the past there were JL codes on GIG too, I flew on JL coded JFK-GIG-JFK in early 2020, but can't find it anymore. (*edit, it is still there, but JFK-GIG only operates in the North American winter season it appears, and JL doesn't put their code on MIA flights which makes sense but also oddly not the DFW-GIG flights which also reappear in winter, only JFK)
Last edited by dvs7310; Apr 5, 2024 at 8:59 pm
Apr 5, 2024 | 9:41 pm
#2005
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QRPC PLT/OW EMD; Bonvoy LT Titanium
Posts: 14,571
Seems to me that whether or not it's an evil depends a lot on the program to which you're crediting your miles. I'm AA PLT, but just booked a DONE3 with the AA RTW desk and am crediting the entire trip to QRPC. In fact, the AA desk doesn't even know that I'm an AAdvantage member.
Apr 5, 2024 | 11:09 pm
#2006
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,093
Seems to me that whether or not it's an evil depends a lot on the program to which you're crediting your miles. I'm AA PLT, but just booked a DONE3 with the AA RTW desk and am crediting the entire trip to QRPC. In fact, the AA desk doesn't even know that I'm an AAdvantage member.
Also having booked AONEn tickets and often flying routes that have no AA metal on ex-USA routes (HKG-SFO, SFO-LHR, IAD-LHR) pre-covid. Now with AA metal not having F, it's less of an issue AND sometimes the routes have no AA codeshare A availability whereas the operating carrier does, so on several occasions I have been booked on the operating carrier's flight number; but this is usually not the case with BA metal flights... so I lose out from a BAEC standpoint as AA flights earn a lot more Avios IF earned using the mileage calculation method than QF or CX flights.
Apr 6, 2024 | 10:27 am
#2007
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: London, United Kingdom
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold;LH Senator;hhonors lifetime diamond; Marriott lt Gold; IH Plat Amb; Amex Centurion
Posts: 4,860
Hello. I wondered if people could very kindly critique this itinerary for me. DONE3 from NRT. I know I could squeeze more miles and tier points out of it but it is where we happen to want to go!
First, will it work? I think it will but I seem to be good at missing things on xONEx flights!
Secondly, will BA ticket it, granted that only only four flights are BA ones - though two of them are intercontinental...
Thanks a lot for any comments and may I recommend flightsfrom.com, which my other half discovered, as a source of ideas...
NRT-HNL-LAX-SJO-CLT-YYZ-LHR-KFL-HEL-AGP-LHR-SIN-KUL-DPS-KUL-BKI-NRT
PS For those who like me don't carry every airport code in their head SJO is San Jos Costa Rica and KEF is the airport for Reykjavik :-).
First, will it work? I think it will but I seem to be good at missing things on xONEx flights!
Secondly, will BA ticket it, granted that only only four flights are BA ones - though two of them are intercontinental...
Thanks a lot for any comments and may I recommend flightsfrom.com, which my other half discovered, as a source of ideas...
NRT-HNL-LAX-SJO-CLT-YYZ-LHR-KFL-HEL-AGP-LHR-SIN-KUL-DPS-KUL-BKI-NRT
PS For those who like me don't carry every airport code in their head SJO is San Jos Costa Rica and KEF is the airport for Reykjavik :-).
Apr 6, 2024 | 11:44 am
#2009
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: London, United Kingdom
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold;LH Senator;hhonors lifetime diamond; Marriott lt Gold; IH Plat Amb; Amex Centurion
Posts: 4,860
ETA: we had another go:
NRT-HNL-LAX-SJO-xCLT-YYZ-LJFK-HR-KFL-HEL-AGP-LHR-xHKG-DPS-xKUL-BKI-NRT
Added some transfers, added a segment to North America and gritted our teeth to undertake a transfer in HKG.
By the way, I knocked up a quick and dirty spreadsheet to keep track of segments and segments per continent (at the moment just for xONE3's) - if anyone wants it...
Last edited by hsmall; Apr 6, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Apr 6, 2024 | 2:01 pm
#2010
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 16,677
Of course! Many thanks. We were planning too long.
ETA: we had another go:
NRT-HNL-LAX-SJO-xCLT-YYZ-LJFK-HR-KFL-HEL-AGP-LHR-xHKG-DPS-xKUL-BKI-NRT
Added some transfers, added a segment to North America and gritted our teeth to undertake a transfer in HKG.
By the way, I knocked up a quick and dirty spreadsheet to keep track of segments and segments per continent (at the moment just for xONE3's) - if anyone wants it...
ETA: we had another go:
NRT-HNL-LAX-SJO-xCLT-YYZ-LJFK-HR-KFL-HEL-AGP-LHR-xHKG-DPS-xKUL-BKI-NRT
Added some transfers, added a segment to North America and gritted our teeth to undertake a transfer in HKG.
By the way, I knocked up a quick and dirty spreadsheet to keep track of segments and segments per continent (at the moment just for xONE3's) - if anyone wants it...