I have been advised by an experienced TA that the fees and surcharges displayed in ITA Matrix can be significantly off vs those actually charged by various airlines for xONEx tickets. There are also several reports that these can be different for the same exact flights depending on the ticketing airline.

If you're considering doing it ex-Japan you don't need to worry much about the airline imposed fees, they're minimal. Likely in the $250-400 range. If you go ex-OSL then you have to be very conscious of them (ex-MAD isn't price competitive), and I believe QF tends to run higher than BA, but both are known to be high. The cheapest on YQ for an ex-OSL to SIN should be QR though it does require a stop in DOH and eats up 1 of the intra-Europe segments. AA or a travel agent can issue ex-OSL as OSL-DOH-SIN on QR, however the OneWorld tool can not.

You've been given good advice. That's been discussed quite a bit in here.

Shouldn't it also be free if you leave the first segment untouched before actually flying it?

I could have been somewhat less obscure.
Planned trip is:
HND-LAX-DEN - / (7 USA segments - one external to DONEx)
DEN-LAX-MAD-LPA-/-MAD (the choice that was present) - SIN
SIN--> Japan in future willing to pay the $125 re-route fee
Mrs QF the same except 6 DIFFERENT USA segments or different times
So the justification is as much the cost of USA flying in combination with getting there
And QF makes the DONE4 difficult with the release of no (minimal D class) seats even in non peak periods

So much planning for the minimal wandering
Fred

Not sure I'm following. Are you suggesting that before flying a single segment you change segments 2-16 (or some of those segments) but as long as you don't change the first segment it's free?

This is incorrect. ANY changes to the ticket before the first segment is flown requires a re-fare.

If you change this to HND-JFK-DEN you'll earn some extra miles.


I've never had that problem with QR. What route is giving you a problem?

I was puzzled too. Assuming the OP did mean QF as they typed, I had no trouble at all finding SCL-SYD and SYD-JNB within a couple of days of when I wanted them....and that was after several date changes. QF seemed pretty open to me.

Agree, QR is typically not an issue, I get the impression that Wandering_Fred really wants that QF A380 for some reason. QF is very stingy with D space on some flights, last year I really wanted the QF AKL-JFK flight but was never able to find D on it either. Similarly the year before, it was very hard to get the QF flight SYD-DFW in D.

I'd really just go via DOH, service is miles ahead of QF, seats are at least equal if not better. The one and only time I'd avoid QR is during Ramadan since they don't have alcohol in DOH lounges during that month and my layovers are more often than not fairly long. (I actually don't know about Al Mourjan and Al Safwa during that month, but my friend tried a Priority Pass lounge and all alcohol had been removed, so assume it's airport wide)

Ahhhh. I do recall a comment a bit upthread now, QF codes credit much better to that program. It's one I know absolutely nothing about.

To be precise: i don't touch the first segment and i only change the date of the following segments it should be free according to my understanding? That's what i understand out of paragraph 16a.

Nope. Many fares have similar wording. The fare doesn’t lock until the first segment using that fare basis is flown. If you make any change of any sort before flying the first segment it will trigger a refare.

All due respect and all that, but I disagree ironmanjt

If what you're saying is true, then the words I have highlighted below are superfluousI say they are not superfluous, and they mean what they say.
(I have no evidence to back this up, it's just me being a barrack-room lawyer :D)

I definitely agree with you on the wording - and I suspect if taken to a court of law you would win. However, my experience has been that it's not what is "intended" and getting an airline (especially QF) to honor the wording voluntarily is likely to be a massive uphill battle. I think we need a guinea pig!

Well it won't be me :D
I start my ex-CAI DONE5 on Monday Tuesday (oops), so no time for me make changes now!

Enjoy - what's your routing?

I started my second ex-CAI a few weeks ago, and parked it "home" at DCA and head off Monday myself for the rest of it.

Looking forward to:

ANC - with a sidetrip to OME and Cessna milkrun-hopping to UNK
The "unusual" line on my lifetime flight map of ANC-HNL
Going to CXI, even though I can't stay for the week this time around
Getting to a new city in Australia and exploring ADL
...and of course Q-Suites.

Not looking forward to:

7+ hours with MH...but maybe they'll surprise me!

If you have time in Nome, try to get a vehicle and drive out a couple of the roads that lead into the Seward Peninsula bush - maybe the Nome - Council Road to the "last train to nowhere" or the Kougarok Road to Pilgrim Hot Springs - lots of wildlife in the area, especially musk oxen.



You might also watch a few episodes of Bering Sea Gold (Discovery Channel) which documents the nut cases that dive to the ocean floor to hoover up gold, summer and winter.

One of the miners: