I've had a number of issues with married segments on QR recently on a BA-issued ticket. Each time, they've needed to go through their behind-the-scenes OW office to contact QR and ask them to unmarry the segments. Takes about 24-48 hours and sometimes some convincing to actually have them do it, but it ultimately gets done. Haven't had to ask QR directly, though based on some RTW customer service I've received from them, I wouldn't have high hopes.

Also, a question for my fellow flying gurus: Now that ex-CAI is basically a thing of the past (BA wouldn't ticket mine, even though I set it up before they stopped them), does anyone know off hand where the cheapest LONE4 and DONE4 fares are out of? Same with LONE5 and DONE5, if possible. Thanks, all!

I went back to looking at MPM (in US dollars)
LONE4 $1280
LONE5 $1467
DONE4 $4770
DONE5 $5437

Still looks like a pretty good deal to me. A bit frustrating having to get from JNB to MPM plus the cost of a visa, but that's probably less than $300 total?

JNB and TYO are also good shouts.

Thanks, all!

There's a problem and I'm very worried.

Since making the above reservation I've made several date and time changes. All routine. I have not, in any way, touched the first flight segment (MPM-DOH) and the second flight was booked and remains as a stop.

Tonight I noticed two QR flights were missing from my reservation. I called QF and they blamed it on QR, saying because there wasn't a ticket number in the reservation, QR cancelled. QF did accept some responsibility and I had no issue adding the flights back in.

After the agent went away to process the changes she came back having spoken to a supervisor who was concerned about the price of my ticket. QF won't reissue it until they speak with the supervisor I spoke with a few days after ticketing - back on 5 August, some four months ago, when I also paid for it.

According to the agent the supervisor (just now) has not been able to reconcile the price I paid on 5 August with what their system was showing should have been the price. Apparently the price on 5 August was something like AUD4900 base but I'd paid something like AUD3700 base. When I pressed the agent as to whether I was going to be asked to pay more, she said "I'm not saying that".

I have been promised a call back first thing in morning my time. This really, really worries me.

i was told specifically by cathay that even if i change the date for later segments (not touching the first), cx would reissue the ticket. reissuing a ticket for cx requires a fare re calculation unless the first segmeny is flown.

cx would not do a date change without reissue because the pnr may not sent across multiple airlines and may result in dropped segment. cx can only do date change without reissue when the flight is on cathay.

Just sharing my experience with similar case about my QF issued exMPM ticket. That was booked before the price increase, but QF held it for me some days, so it was ticketed also after the price increase.

When there have been changes to flights (both involuntary flight changes and voluntary date changes) and the ticket needed to be reissued, normal reservations agents have been said that there was problem with price calculation (it came back with higher base fare) and they needed to get supervisor to confirm the reissue with the old base fare. This have went back and forth and normal reservations agents asked always to call back after some days after it should have been approved by supervisor.

After I got connected to QF premium agent by change, that knew rules of RTW tickets very well and she agreed with me that it shouldn't be repriced according to the rules. She couldn't get the correct price with normal reissue process, so she pushed ticketing desk to reissue the ticket without price recalculation during the call. Unfortunately I don't remember her name.

Maybe the ticketing desk could be pushed to reissue the ticket without price recalculation also in your case, if you can get agent that agrees with the rules.

In the end and to get a DONE4 ticketed (with QR) I added a month long stop after the first flight. Added about US$1000 in tickets to get back home and back to the first stop. It will be worth it if I can get it re-issued with the flights I really wanted (and without the flight I didn't want DOH-AKL)

Happy wandering

Fred

It took the whole day and conversations with three different agents but QF reissued the ticket without issue. It was almost as if the supervisor's concerns the night prior didn't filter through to the next day's agents. I hope this is the last of these scares.

Interesting that thois has had a very similar experience.

Hi All,

I am looking to make some changes to my DONE4 and have a couple of questions:

1. Has anyone had luck changing departure/arrival locations before taking their first flight?

2. Can I have the experts here review my intended changes to make sure they are acceptable?

Current: ex-mpm-doh-sin-dps-hkg-mnl-nrt-san-lax-jfk-tus-lax-lhr-cdg-doh-sez

Change: ex-mpm-doh-sin-hkg-han-sgn-nrt-lax-jfk-tus-lax-lhr-cdg-doh-sez

Am I correct in thinking that I would have an extra sector after the change?

Thanks!!

Hi pandaperth!

That's great news! I thought the rule was that I could change dates/times any time before first flight, but no rerouting. I booked right after that great deal ended...I think August 3rd or 6th.

HAN to SGN will be a surface segment, as I will be working my way down.

Thank you!

so. you paid 4xxx usd for base fare?

About that. Yes.

"Best"/Easiest/Cheapest Country to Originate DONE0X
 

Since CAI is on hold, any thoughts on "best" place to originate DONE04?

MPM seems difficult to transit with Visa ($5744 DONE05)
JNB more expensive now $7,421 for DONE05)
NRT looking better ($6,690 DONE04)
AMM $7,221 DONE04

Have all OW carriers suspended ex-CAI tickets?

Thanks

The fjords are lovely.

When I last checked in EF, a few weeks ago, no OW carriers had ex-CAI xONEx fares filed.
A check today shows that QR's fares are back. It's still showing EGP44,000 for a DONE4, so I presume the other xONEx fares are also unchanged.

the qr fare has always been there but i dont.think they sell it anyways

Fjords vs. Fuji
 

DONE04 6721.51(USD) Fjords / 6671.64(USD) Fuji

Earlier today an FTer pm'd me asking about cheapest northern hemisphere DONE3 fares and whether southern hemisphere DONE4 fares might be a suitable alternative.

I thought my answer might be of general interest, so I am posting it here.
The list (source: ExpertFlyer) is incomplete, especially with regards to Asia, but I'm fairly sure that nowhere else in Asia beats Japan
Historically, southern Africa has been the cheapest place to start a DONEx - so I've listed the DONE4 fares from there.

DONE3 Base Fares ex Northern Hemisphere
Region/CountryCurrent Cost
USA USD 9,699
Canada CAD 10,199
Rest of Nth Am USD 10,199
Eurozone EUR 6,412
UK GBP 5,471
Norway NOK 52,398
Sweden SEK 58,779
Switzerland CHF 8,520
Denmark DKK 47,737
Japan JPY 656,300
Sth Korea KRW 8,529,300

DONE4 Base Fares ex Southern Africa
Mozambique MZN 357,060
South Africa ZAR 88,410
Namibia NAD 88,410
Mauritius MUR235000

DONE4s ex my part of the world
Australia AUD 11,999
New Zealand NZD 12,699

Putting the numbers through xe.com to get USD figures:

Canada at ~USD 7,650 is the cheapest in Nth America
Norway is the cheapest in Europe at ~USD 6,290
Japan is ~USD 6,560

Southern Africa DONE4 prices are ~USD 6,500
except for Mozambique which is a still attractive USD 5,000
(though not as attractive as they were prior to the price rise on 1 August 2016 - I purchased a DONE5 for ~USD4,000 all-in, and a DONE6 for ~USD4,800 all-in)

So, if someone actually wanted to visit Africa as part of a DONE, then starting in southern Africa is an attractive option, especially Mozambique. But if Africa is not wanted, then the positioning costs might outweigh the lower price ex-Mozambique

Boo on me taking a few months off checking RTW fares and missing CAI.

In looking at EF, does anyone have any experience/knowledge about the ex-MPM XTEST34 fare? $2327 in J but that's almost half the distance of a DONE4. So far seems like it may work for me though but I'm considering buying up to the DONE4 just to keep things simple.

I'm also new to EF, but why are no XONE6 fares showing up ex-MPM? There is also no AONE4 or 5 but there is a DONE3 but MPM can't be a 3 cont....correct?

Thanks for any help.

my guess is that when done3 is introucted i mpm, they just bumped the old done4 to done3, and old done6 to new done5. since there were no done7 previously, there nothing get bumpee to new.done6

I disagree

The ex-Mozambique xONE4/5/6 fares were raised significantly on 1 August 2106, well before the xONE3 fares were introduced

The mystery is why QR has published xONE3 fares for Mozambique - given that it's impossible to construct a valid 3-continent itinerary starting there, due to the lack of flights out of Mozambique to any southern hemisphere destination

I have never heard of the XTEST34 fare. How did you pull that up in EF? In particular what airline(s) did you specify in your criteria?
I have just tried to pull it up EF and failed.

I can certainly see xONE6 fares and AONE4/5 fares
Perhaps you omitted to specify airline(s) which means you get lots of fares (including *A and Skyteam fares) and the search engine may have timed out before displaying all possible fares.

Half the distance of a DONE4?? The xONEx fares do not have maximum permitted miles, instead their fares are based on number of continents visited.

Yes, a 3-continent xONEx itinerary starting in Mozambique is impossible.

Before introduction of XONE3 originated from southern Africa,
there are XONEWC3 fares from southern Africa.

XONEWC4 fare is same as XONE4, and XONEWC3 is less than those XXXXX4 fares.

when done3 was introduced in mpm, it took the old price of done4 in nov (or dec)

I often have trouble understanding your cryptic posts pdb456, and this one is no exception

If I'm understanding your post, then I disagree with you because

ex-MPM base fares rose significantly on 1 August 2016, in particular
the DONE4 rose from MZN162,300 to MZN357,060

The DONE3 was later introduced, its base fare is MZN330,000
as you say, this was around Nov/Dec 2016

So, the new DONE3 fare did not take the old price of the DONE4

And anyway this is way off topic for this thread

I had, on the whole, a just positive experience booking a One World Visit Asia pass recently, booked in conjunction with a BA redemption to China. It wasn't without its mysteries though.

Very mixed experience on the respective booking lines to BA and CX. BA seemed on the whole a lot less experienced with the product and had to transfer and hold multiple times. CX did it quickly with a call back within an hour ready to purchase.

Though I've got the flights confirmed and complete, still wondering how much the fare brackets actually are. From process of elimination a zone three would be GDP 125 for HKG to Shanghai, zone four seems to be about GDP 150 for Manila to Tokyo. For a One World regular, probably just about worth 2-3 hours on the phone for two sets of two flights to explain it all.

I wrote more on the experience on my own blog:

https://miketaylstravels.wordpress.c...iguing-delays/

Yeh absolutely gutted.

I'm looking at a LONE 4 now for £3k, at £4k for Business it would have been an easy upgrade decision and a BA TP bonanza!

Just going to book it and if a cheap DONE4 appears before i fly, then i'll cancel my LONE4 and rebook DONE4.

---

Question - For those ticketing out of CAI or MPM - How did you pay for these tickets? A residence in either country wasn't required?

There never was a residency requirement. There was a currency requirement years ago. It allowed buying in another country, but not buying in yours at the lower price. It was dropped.

Old requirement:

Ex-MPM AONE4 booked through AA RTW desk, paid with CC. Ex-CAI DONE4 booked through BA (via old BA RTW desk phone #), paid with CC.

Residency, or place from where you purchase the RTW ticket, is no longer a factor due to rule changes. Check latest OWE rules a oneworld.com for details.

Hi All!

I've just finished one section of my DONE4 ex-MPM and wanted to share some info. I know this thread is for "booking" experiences, but it seems more appropriate to post here than the FAQ's.

First of all, to follow up on my last post in this thread, I had no problems at all changing my departure/arrival points before taking my first flight.

Just some info on Maputo:
*I had a Visa ahead of time and had no issues
* I traveled in East Africa for a bit before going to Maputo. With the way the flight times worked out, I needed to overnight in Maputo before the flight from MPM to Doha on Qatar the next afternoon. This ended up being a good thing, as our luggage did not arrive in Maputo after our layover in Johannesburg (SAA). Based on conversations with a gentleman (standing in line at baggage services) who travels to Maputo often, this is very common. Our hotel offers a free pick up service for delayed luggage, which also tells me this happens often. So, keep this in mind when you are working out your timing at Maputo. Our luggage came in at 11 the next morning. Also, if you are connecting in Joburg, put a lock on your bags.
* The same gentlemen shared his "go-to" Taxi with us and we used him again the following morning. His name is Agostinho and he was punctual, reasonably priced and friendly. His number is (+258) 84 708 11 00.
* We stayed at the Radisson Blue, which was nice, clean, close to the airport and had a great breakfast! https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-maputo They have an airport shuttle but it is much more expensive than a taxi.

*Allow plenty of time at MPM. Passport control is very slow moving.

I hope that helps anyone who is departing soon!

If you're on Instagram, I have a travel account (that goes with my travel website) that I have been documenting my travels on. The handle is @when.is.now.

I'm not even half way through this ticket and I already want another one :)

Thanks for posting, SDandi. I'm nine weeks out from my ex-MPM.

It sounds like Johannesburg's reputation for luggage left has not improved.

Looking forward to reading about your experiences!

Lucky :) I am ready to pounce on the next great deal.

Thank you SDandi

My ex-MPM journey start in next month and very useful info.

When i bought my ticket there wasn`t AY code share to DOH-HEL leg (QR301) but now they have that (AY6004). I tried to change my ticket to that AY6004 but got reply, that they cant change it because "it is not possible to book this flight and calculate its price since there are no available tariffs" and capture of this:

..AYAYDOHMUC26APR17

*** AY ***

** FINNAIR - AN ** 76 WE 26APR 00

NO AVAILABILITY FOR SELECTED PREFERENCE

I asked why it shows DOHMUC and not DOHHEL (I have MUC flight after HEL) and got reply:

"originally the cost of taxes for all flights was calculated as single unit with one transaction under S7 code, in case we take AY code we need to calculate each flight separately - it is not correct from technical point of view. There are seats available on these flight - we checked this point, but ticket reissue this way is not possible. Hope for your understanding."


To be honest I don`t understand. :)
Any ideas how to change that QR code to AY? I contacted to AY but they said to contact S7.

Thank you!

I did similar change from QR301 to AY6004 with QF. Their ticketing department had problem with the reissue, but I finally got senior agent to "educate" the ticketing department while I was on hold.

The reissue was still made technically wrong, they didn't updated the fare calculation field (it was still showing X/DOH QR HEL instead of AY) and tour code was left almost empty, they only changed the flight. But it still worked.

Most probably the problem was same, but I don't know exactly as QF solved it.

My route is: MPM-(QR)-DOH-(QR)-HEL-(AY)-MUC-(S7)-DME-(S7)-NRT-(JL)-JFK-(QR)-xDOH-(QR)-CPT

Plan is to re-route this after HEL. I just booked this quickly before the price went up. :)

For the third time on my DONE5 booking that hasn't yet commenced, Qantas is trying to tell me that Morocco is in Africa. This is seriously doing my head in.

My itinerary is MPM-DOH-CMN-DOH-CPH-xDOH-GRU . . .