Will they take cash for an AA issued ticket?

Happy wandering

Fred

This probably has something to do with DCC which has been invading merchants in HKG... They are running your card and it's coming back as a AUD card so they are taking the position that it has to be charged in AUD and thus the AUD price.

Just call CX and book it. I have used them for years with no issue charging my US issued credit card. Sure the fuel fines may be slightly higher, but it's always been a good experience. You will have to call and give them the itinerary and a specialist will call you back to confirm and take payment.

What's DCC? Is it that box that offers to "helpfully" charge your card in your home currency?

Correct - very "helpfully" at up to a 10% surcharge.

Unfortunately also allows merchants to easily identify the home country of the card.

Very disturbing. Wonder if they would take a direct transfer - using one of the cheaper money transfer places - downside no points.

I'm starting this thread as a central point for people to share their recent experiences and outcomes in booking, or trying to book, Oneworld products including Oneworld Explorer, Global Explorer, various Circle tickets, etc.

This won't be a place-specific thread; feel free to record your experiences in booking or ticketing in any country for any Oneworld product.

Also be mindful that anyone can read these posts, including people within the industry, so use discretion when being overly specific, especially regarding the use of names, email contacts and the like. I won't hesitate to edit or remove posts that have the potential for negative consequences for FT members.

Gardyloo
Oneworld moderator

If I understand correctly there's no need for this discussion anymore. Any oneworld product, in any currency, starting anywhere in the world can now be purchased from any oneworld carrier anywhere. The fare will simply be converted to the issuing location's currency and charged to any international credit card. It's as if the whole world became one big 'Canadian exception'. The restriction that the first segment segment carrier must issue the ticket (or vice versa) also seems to have disappeared. At least that seems to be the situation at the moment.

I pulled up an old copy of the OWE rules (from late 2012 I believe) and it said this: The current rule sheet says this: So yes, the "higher price" restriction has been removed.

The first-carrier-issuing-the-ticket "rule" has only applied to tickets bought using the online tool; it was never a rule enforced by the airlines when the ticket was booked manually.

OK, the rule sheet says: "When travel originates in a country for which a specific local currency fares is published and the ticket is sold in another country, the fare will be that published for the country of origin converted to the currency of the country of sale at the bank selling rate."

So what happens in a country where there is a specific local fare, but it's in dollars or some other currency? I can't remember this possibility ever having come up, but it must exist. And is there any significance to the fact that the phrase 'a specific local currency fareS' is in the plural (despite the singular 'a')?

I think the plural "fares" is just another case of sloppy editing. Checking back through my old rules sheets, it was there back as far as 2007.

But thank you for pointing out that the wording of this rule has changed - significantly IMHO. I am going to make a post the correct thread to give this wider dissemination (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...ule-sheet.html)

As for those countries whose fare quoted in a currency other than its own currency - IMHO there is no significance. For example, fares from Tanzania are quoted in USD, so if someone in Australia purchases an ex-Tanzania ticket the fare will simply be converted from USD to AUD at the BSR.

It was never a rule, just a limitation on the online tool to make programming it easier. However, some agents think it is a rule and I've been told at least once to go talk to another airline.
I contacted CX about a quote for a DAS13 (CBR-SYD-NRT-ITM-NRT-HKG-SIN-MEL), CX had the flights that touched HKG, QF/JL had the rest. The agent told me to go talk to QF since they had the first flight. They relented and gave the quote when I started reading the fare rules to them.

what is the best currency to get a quote on ex mpm? at usd, i think the roe is 58.xx and the base fare is a few hundred more expensive than expeetflyer.

I'm only 3 segments into my trip which started in HND. I'm crediting my post Aug 1 AA flights and BA flights to BA in order to get BAEC Silver (OW Sapphire) by December (my membership year with them runs March-March). That way I'll go into my next membership year with BAEC Silver (Avios bonuses on BA and AA coded flights and US domestic lounge access) and on my way to BAEC Gold in 2017. I'll split my 2017 earnings between AA and BA with 75K RDMs going to AA and about 82K Avios.

FWIW, I'm AA LT Plat and buy domestic F most of the time (or F award) unless it's a really short flight. So the SWUs and higher up on domestic upgrade list aren't big sellers so I do not feel the need to go for EXP. I travel only 1-3 US domestic flights, so can't justify $450 for lounge access, so BAEC Silver/Gold will provide me the lounge access which is more of a plus, especially at IAD where there is no Admirals club but there is a BA lounge; F Lounges worldwide when traveling in J will be nice too.

As I mentioned in post 265 here I've been working with three Mozambique travel agents to see if they can correctly price a DONE5. As that thread is more about ex-CPT, I think this discussion is better suited to this thread.

I sent this itinerary for pricing: MPM-xDOH-CMN-DOH-CPH-xDOH-GRU-SCL-BOG-LIM-EZE-JFK-CUN-PHX-DFW-SYD-JNB.

Putting this itinerary into the oneworld booking tool but starting, for example, CPT-JNB-xDOH . . . and dropping one of the South American segments (in order to, (i) get a price with BA being the first carrier and, (ii) stay within the 16 stops) produces a valid itinerary so I believe the above is also valid.

The first agent has bowed out, it seemingly being too difficult for him. The other two have been very eager to assist and have admitted it's their first foray into the xONEx field.

One has come back saying she has been in touch with QR and they have advised: "The itinerary as it stands does not qualify for RTW product, due to following reason. Only 1 intercontinental departure and 1 intercontinental arrival permitted in Africa". The agent then included this image:

http://imgur.com/a/jvSnu

I went back to her saying the itinerary does indeed have only one intercontinental departure and arrival in Africa. She replied saying she would relay that to QR and get back in touch when she had more.

I've posted an update in post eight, here.