Thanks, Anabolism, for that info. So still no reason to stop using the AA desk.

Just use AA, unless you want to book a codeshare operated by AA (e.g., book AS or AY code for an AA-operated flight that you will credit to AA), or you want to save a bit on the carrier overcharges. I've been booking my RTWs though JL the past couple of years. They are more cumbersome to deal with than AA, but not excessively so.

I book codeshares all the time and rarely have problems with seat selection. I haven't tried an AS code on a JL-operated flight, but your TA as well as AS and JL should be able to allocate seats for you. With a codeshare, there will often be a different record locator for the operating carrier of that specific flight, so there might be a JL record locator for the overall itinerary plus a second JL-only record locator for the JL flight that's booked as an AS flight in the main itinerary. In this second record, the JL flight will be a JL prime flight, but it is a "limited services record," meaning that it can only be used for seat assignments, checking in, meal selection, and potentially an upgrade once under airport control. So first I'd try to have your TA allocate seats in their booking engine. If that fails, have them dig in and see if there's a separate JL PNR for that one flight. If so, try using the JL booking management web tool with that record locator. if that fails, try calling JL and giving them that record locator. You can also try using the Qantas or Finnair websites to manage the booking, using either the overall record locator (same as for JL) or the limited services one. You can also try calling AS back or using their website to allocate seats,using the AS record locator for the overall itinerary (which will be different from the JL one).

Just on the minor point of "these fares are all that they do," a few years ago, AA merged their Meeting Services and RTW teams, so RTW agents also do group bookings. And they handle overflow regular calls. That minor quibble aside, yes, the AA RTW desk is an excellent choice for booking RTWs. They won't book another airline's code on an AA-operated flight, and they are not the cheapest for carrier overcharges, but those two fairly minor issues aside, there's no reason not to use them.

Can you expand on that? About how much more am I paying to have AA do this vs another booking channel?

That actually works for me. I credit to QRPC, where AA coded flights earn considerably more than QR coded flights, even on QR metal. That's why I always get AA codes on my U.S. - DOH flights.

Thanks, Dr. HFH. Noted down the AA RTW desk number and will certainly try them (as we have planned more RTW itins in the future!) 👍🏼

Thanks, anabolism. Already done the booking with that person, too late as I have paid the fares and his fees. However, as suggested I will give AA RTW desk a go later this year for another itin.

Thanks, anabolism, for explaining that there might be a JL record locator for the overall itin PLUS a second JL-only record locator for the JL flight that's booked as an AS flight in the main itin (used for seat assignment). This makes sense as to why I have not been able to 'manage booking' using the JL record locator (JL website show booking not found or cancelled). I have contacted AS but they were unhelpful. Therefore, I may contact JL as to why I was unable to find my booking under the JL record locator given by AS (and the TA), hoping they will give me a second record locator for seat selection. I have used QF website but no joy. Could not find booking in Finnair as there was no AY flight involved.

Each airline files their carrier overcharges ("fuel surcharges") in the GDS. I am not aware of any handy tool to see this, although matrix shows it but only for "normal" itineraries, not RTWs. Many airlines charge per segment for their own flights, while some impose an additional surcharge over the whole trip. In my experience, AA charges all carrier overcharges, while some airlines (e.g., JL) seem to not charge quite as many. In addition, I think (but am not sure) that some airlines impose their own overcharges for the whole trip when booked through them. So, AA is in the middle. Booking with JL may save several hundred USD, and booking with BA may cost a few hundred more.

That works perfectly for you! AA is very happy to book AA codeshares wherever possible.

A JL agent should be able to find you by looking in the manifest of the JL flight by its flight number and date.

Very interesting, do we think JAL is generally the least expensive? Is the consensus that their customer service for changes isn't as good?

anabolism is spot on! When the booking goes through AS before being passed JL (Amadeus), likely another Amadeus record got generated just for the JL flight, especially if the TA uses Sabre. JL is notorious for always directing pax to marketing carriers for seat selection as a policy. It should be very simply done by the TA who can open seat map and select or at least use SSR code to specify.

I haven't priced an RTW with all airlines, but my experience suggests that JL may be cheaper than AA, BA, or QR. A couple of times when I used an AA SWU to upgrade an AA segment on a JL-issued RTW, AA threw conniptions, saying JL hadn't charged all the carrier overcharges and AA couldn't reissue without collecting them, but I was eventually able to get them to do a straight reissue.

JL is more cumbersome to deal with for an RTW than AA, for sure. With AA, you call, wait, and get an RTW-experienced agent. With JL, if you call the U.S. number exactly when they open at 5am Pacific, you usually have no or a short wait, but it's luck of the draw if you get a Los Angeles or overseas agent. The L.A. agents all seem capable and experienced with RTWs, while an overseas agent will first try to help, then put you on hold to "consult the relevant department," then transfer you. If lucky, they transfer you to L.A. or an agent in Japan who knows RTWs. If unlucky, it's one more transfer. A transfer typically involves a lengthly hold (I call when I have other stuff to do while the call is on speaker). If you don't call the U.S. number the instant they open, there is usually a lengthly wait. You can also call Japan, but they often bring a translator on the line.

That said, I have purchased several RTWs over the past few years with JL, typically AONE5 or DONE5, with open-dated segments, and have made changes multiple times. It just isn't as easy as with AA.