From KVS

I've just checked my proposed routing and it was WLG_SYD_LAX-ORD-JFK-HKG-MEL-WLG and it was under 26,000 and the agents clearly stated that the problem was the backtracking from going west to east to west again ....

But I"m going to give it another go as i've a similar trip coming up!

Maybe your routing exceeded 26k miles and that is why the agents considered it invalid.[/QUOTE]

You will certainly get the points by adding your QFF no to the booking. I can recommend a decent travel agent if you pm me.

Boar, my understanding is to get the CP in J at near half price have to do out of HK, so do you have agent there?.

Have completed three of these ex Australia. The fares on the Oneworld web site vanished and i assumed it was for some upcoming price increase along the lines of the 2008 horror.

Pleased to see they are the same. Complex beasts to organise, book and actually travel on. Have come to expect at least a few problems when Cathay and American Airlines are involved.

Have Qantas on speed dial as the other partners won't lift a finger to sort out problems they create. A few weeks back when my circle pacific delinked it was Delta Airlines that came to my rescue and patched it all back together. American Airlines were understanding but wouldn't do anything as Qantas was not part of their 'strategic Alliance' with BA and Iberia. Makes me wonder what the point to Oneworld is.

As the Circle Pacific fare from HKG from say Sydney is half the price and I realise I'd miss out on SYD/HKG leg so would buy a Y ticket to fly out to HKG, how could I book it in Hong Kong as I'm located in Australia?.

Anyone know where I can buy a Circle Pacific fare (I live in OZ) from Hong Kong?

See boar's post earlier in the thread
He invited you to send him a private message to get details of a HK based agent he knows

I'm sorry........its cheaper from New Zealand plus its in NZ dollars???

So the 26,000 k F is A$14499 in Aus and A$10800 in NZ?

So all I need to do is buy a flight from Australia to Auckland and I save almost $4000 per person?

There has to be a catch surely (apart from buying through an NZ agent)

There's no catch

The fare is published in NZD - NZD14099 for an ACIR26 - plus the taxes and fuel surcharges.
If you pay with an Australian credit card, what it costs you in AUD will depend on the AUD/NZD exchange rate on the day your c/c company does the conversion

That plus a nice 3% fee for the cc company after they do the conversion at the prevailing rate.

Not all credit cards charge a conversion/transaction fee.

Granted, but if the 3% triggers travel insurance and gives one point per dollar (or better), then it isn't so bad.

For a card that doesn't charge any conversion fee and, in my experience, uses a very good exchange rate, try the 28 Degrees MasterCard (formerly Wizard Clear Advantage).

So I've gotten to the stage now where I've decided my itinerary for next year's holiday, and thought before I get too excited, I should get a travel agent (other than the one I work for.. my consultants are way too busy...:p) to validate my planned ACIR26 itinerary ex AKL. I contacted Amex Platinum Travel

The routing I'm planning is

9/4 AKL-SYD
20/6 SYD-LAX-LAS
27/6 LAS-JFK
08/07 JFK-HKG
16/07 HKG-SYD
15/09 SYD-AKL

Apparently this is not allowed, as I'd be "stopping" in Sydney twice in the itinerary, and you're only allowed to stop in any city once. Advice I was given was to fly to a different Australian port, but there are no others with an F service from HKG.

I have gone back them and said what if I 'transit' through Sydney on the way back, ie fly HKG-SYD on QF in F, then be ticketed to connect to AKL (maybe on a flight much later that day). Would that be allowed? I could then just check-in for the HKG-SYD, and "miss" the connection.

Does this work? Is it possible?? Advice greatly appreciated.

PS - forgot to mention, when I plug in a RTW in the Oneworld planner, it has no issue with me "stopping" in Sydney twice. I thought the principle for RTW and CIR would have been fairly similar.

Cheers
Ozvirginuk