We've seen these RTW fares change currency from local to USD after the surge in bookings.I don't know if this is IATA driven or the airlines.

Add the old (but underused) secret of WDH at $5758
And I think you have the wrong price for JNB, I'm seeing $5758 (ZAR102000) there as well.
EDIT: apparently the NAD and ZAR are 1:1

Played around with the online tool and exCAI seems to be pricing correctly, once converted from AUD.

Exactly. It seems like it's airline/alliance driven. I'd be interested in knowing which it is, but not sure how to find out.

Sorry I have been very busy. I had to take away SYD-PER (and I made it SYD-DOH) and make MAN a transit for autoprice to work. This does not mean your itinerary is not compliant with the rules. It's just that autoprice for some reason would not accept it. I think you also made a routing mistake (OSL twice and no BDA) in your Sabre command, so I fixed it based on your itinerary.

The code I used was therefore: WQOSL/ABA4OCT/CDLHR/ABA/CDBDA/AAA/CDMIA/AAA/CDLAX/AAA/CDSAT/AAA/CD/XLAX/AAA/CDHNL/AJL/CDNRT/AJL/CDKUL/AMH/CDBLR/AQF/CDSYD/AQR/CDDOH/AQR/CD/XMAN/ABA/CD/XLHR/ABA/CDOSL-RW/MNOK/SOSL/TOSL

The default validating carrier is BA, with BA, JL, MH, QF (massive), and QR (also quite big) YQ/YR charged.

Using validating carrier AA would give almost the same amount. The only difference is that one of the JL YQ will not be charged (the other JL YQ and JL YR still are charged).

Putting it on JL would be a bit further lower. All JL YQ will be charged, but not QR YR/YQ.

Validating carrier MH yields the same amount as JL

Validating carrier QF yields the same amount as BA

Validating carrier QR yields the lowest amount, as only QR, BA, and MH YQ/YR are collected. Please note though I have heard from another FTer that at least one of the QR offices calculates segment by segment manually, resulting in a much higher amount. YMMV, perhaps with a different QR office.

I believe airlines are allowed to file fares in a different currency if they want to. I did a random search on CZ fares from CAI to CAN, and the cheapest fare is filed in AED.

Hi,

Many thanks for this - much appreciated. I have only ever booked a RTW with BA (directly). Would I just call QR or is it best via a TA ? I've seen lots of comments about poor QR call centre customer service.

Not sure about this particular pricing, but typically for a RTW I make an international call to the airline with whom my first flight will be, in the country where that flight takes off from (eg Norway). Some how that seems cleaner than persuading a UK agent to sell a ticket originating in OSL etc. Note that if you buy a ticket internationally like that, you will need a credit card that doesn't add a foreign exchange margin.

I suspect in your case I'd try QR locally, and if that doesn't work then QR in Qatar (assuming the outstation has a different call centre, for some airlines this is the case and for some it just routes to the nightshift in the centre).

If your journey uses AA on one of the over-ocean legs you can also get great service from AA's specialist RTW desk.

You are welcome. In my experience, a TA can only issue an RTW using QR plate if QR has the first inter-TC segment (TPAC, TATL, or Europe/ME-Asia/Aus), so the autoprice default to QR as the validating carrier. You can try asking a different TA, or reverse the routing if possible.

Hi - I'm trying to use the tool to check if my itinerary is valid or not, but it's insisting that there isn't a single OW flight between Sydney and Thailand/Malaysia or Singapore which seems *quite* unlikely, so I thought I'd check here if this looks like a valid itinerary or if there are issues with it that I might not have spotted:

OSL-LHR-SIN-MEL-SYD-NOU-SYD-SIN-HKT-HKG-KIX-LAX-BOS-LHR-OSL

(first SIN stop transit only)

I'm within the 16 legs, but not sure if I have too many flights in Asia and Australia

Hoping I can use my BA vouchers to bring the pricing down even further!

I noticed that the other day as well. Tool couldn't find any flights for HKG-AKL, HKG-SYD, or NRT/HND-SYD.

Others will know the detailed rules but it sounds as though you have made it think you are backtracking in Asia-Pac. Sometimes the tool gets it wrong (actually there are two tools and they seem to calculate differently). Also, rather than go back to LHR have you thought of going OSL-HEL-SIN instead (on Finnair)? It's a nice airline, great airport and quite a convenient route.

You may also be hitting some availability constraints on those sectors. HKG and SYD have some bottlenecks at the moment as we found on our booking. I usually take a subscription to Expertflyer for a month or two while I'm setting up an RTW, and use it to check for D class (or whatever you are flying in) on specific flights before asking the tool to price the route and again before calling to book.

I believe TAs can ticket on any airline that has the fare. Back when a number of people were buying xONEx tickets starting in origins for which most of the OW airlines had withdrawn their fares but a few hadn't yet, people were using TAs to get them ticketed on OW airlines that still had the fare, with the ticketing airline not being the first flight and maybe only having a small flight in the routing (I can't recall all the details).

I agree with @SPO, except that I have an annual subscription to Expert Flyer, as I use it all the time. I would not rely on the online tool to verify if a routing is correct, as it is often wrong. I verify the routing against the rules myself, manually, then use Expert Flyer to identify the flights I want and verify availability in the appropriate booking inventory.

or indeed CNS providing you aren’t going there in marine stinger season. Might be a nice contrast to Sydney.

Egypt has devalued the EGP several times in the last year which means that Egypt is again a good starting place for xonex tickets.

Thanks everyone - this is super helpful, some great tweaks here and i'll definitely take a subscription on ExpertFlyer - great tip

My primary question is where do I actually book a DONE3 starting in Cairo? The on-line itinerary builder on oneworld is useless.

First two segments would be on QR.

General planned itinerary is:

CAI-xDOH-xLAX-oLAS-xLAX-oJFK-xDFW-oLAS-xDFW-oHNL-oTYO-oBKK-xHKG-oLHR-oCAI

Any hiccups on that itinerary?

Thx.

Looks like 7 NA segments.
I usually book through the AA RTW desk, although they may at times require an AA over water segment.

Ah, yes, on the 7-NA segments. I'll work on that. Thx.

Will the AA desk quote me the ex-CAI pricing?

I take it DFW-HNL isn't enough to qualify as one of the over-water segments? As a result of the itinerary, not sure where else I could fly AA intercontinentally.

I'm not sure why you think AA won't quote ex-Egypt fares. The restriction on starting country and selling country was removed from the rules sometime ago. Just ask them.

AA codeshares on QR DOH-DFW so that might be an option. By overwater, what is usually meant is intercontinental but someone recently posted that AA issued an xonex recently w/o any of those segments:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34918618-post1088.html

It's been a few years since I bought an RTW. That's why I am here. Trying to reconcile what I knew then with how things have changed.

Cheers.

I’ve booked and been ticked on a DONE4 ex HND and have no AA segments over water….I did request LHR-YVR as an AA code share but she booked us on BA85

Assume an AA codeshare on a Jet Blue operated flight is a no-no?

B6 is not a member of Oneworld nor is it an affiliate.
From the rules:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/m9ph4qv...d-explorer.pdf

OMG, the new tool! How did they manage to make it worse? Both methods on the oneworld site fail to recognize transit points and hard stop me by saying I have too many stopovers in my continent of origin (a couple Dohas), Is there a way to put in an itinerary? I'll grant pilot error could be a factor.

A TA can issue it on GDS, yes. Whether QR will be unhappy with it (and as a result send debit memo to the agent or otherwise restrict the TA's future ability to sell QR tickets) is another issue. My experience in Taiwan is that TPEQR would only give okay to TA when the 1st inter-TC segment is on QR.

Hi.

Sorry to butt in on someone else's query, but just wanted to clarify a question I have on the above (I'm still trying to learn all the various rules before possible DONE* starting in 2024).

So it looks like there are no issues to start in CAI and end in AMM according to the special Middle East rules mentioned above, but does that use up a segment as a surface segment? For example, is CAI-LHR-SCL-DFW-CUN-SEA-ANC-HNL-HND-SYD-NAN-SYD-AKL-KUL-DEL-DOH-AMM a valid routing? That's 16 segments, but maybe I need an extra one because of start/end being different?

Thanks!

TTBOMK your 16 segment intinerary is fine as I'm pretty sure the implied surface segment at the end of your trip is not counted as one of your 16 flight segments. That's my understanding as I have no actual experience as my AMM AONE4 was 16 segments and ended in AMM and my CAI DONE3 was only 7 segments and ended in DOH.

Thanks for the feedback. That's how I would have read it too, as otherwise it's taking away any real benefit of being able to start/end in different countries within Middle East, if it's going to eat up a segment anyway.

Originally my plan was to not book this until later in the year (maybe Oct/Nov), for a start in mid/late March 2024. But given that the ex Cairo pricing is so reasonable now, I might reconsider and just book it in April. That's if the pricing sticks like this - I know it can change pretty quickly. I'll have to maybe get myself an Expert Flyer subscription and learn how to use it! :)

Thanks again.

I have booked and completed a 16 seg DONE6 starting in CAI and ending in DOH in the past without a problem.

I'm considering a AONE3 ticket starting in Tokyo. I've booked quite a few of these in previous years (pre-Covid) through the Cathay Pacific Tokyo office with no issues. However, upon contacting them this time, they rather unhelpfully told me to try using the Oneworld website first (although they offered to assist if "any error message or problem"). Assuming I can find the routing I want on the explorer tool, my main concern would be future changes to dates (definitely will happen) and/or routing.(possibly). Has anyone used the online booking tool in the past and been able to receive assistance from an airline (whether Cathay or another) at a later date please? Any other advice appreciated. Many thanks.

mispost

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=c%3Ablu...=bm&PW=3&DU=mi

No additional surface segment needed when starting and ending elsewhere within the Middle East.

If you manage to book and buy a RTW ticket using the online tool, it will be ticketed by a oneworld airline (typically the one that has the first segment in the ticket). You would have bought the ticket from this airline and have a contract with them. You need to contact them for any changes. The other airlines you have flights with typically would refuse to touch the ticket unless it is a last minute flight cancellation/delay leading to involuntary rerouting.

Yes. Another option is to give up on the bug-filled tool and have AA’s specialist RTW desk do it - especially if you have an intercontinental AA flight somewhere in your itinerary (I’ve not tried without). I am doing an ex-OSL RTW bought that way shortly. Finnair is the first carrier but refused to assist with a RTW booking; and the tool would not correctly validate the route. AA were very professional and knowledgeable.

Hi again

I've been finessing my trip thanks to your advice and expert flyer, and before I call to get it booked, I wanted to check that this itinerary wouldn't fall foul of any rules

OSL-DOH-KUL-DPS-MEL-NAN-SYD-SIN-HKG-KIX-HNL-LAX-BOS-LHR-OSL

You've got two unused overall segments and four unused North America segments. I'd change BOS-LHR to BOS-DFW/ORD-LAX-LHR. LAX-LHR is a much nicer flight if you'll be in J or F.

You have two visits to Asia, which is fine since one is for transt between Europe/Middle East and South West Pacific, but I'm not 100% sure if you can have two stopovers in that transit.

I've given up on the oneworld site's two booking options.. I have two questions: My first flights are CAI-CMN-DFW-ICT. Through Expert Flyer, I've found D inventory on CMN-DOH-DFW. The QR flight to DFW has an AA codeshare. Would the RTW desk likely look at this as an AA flight? (I can try to book TPAC on AA, too.)
If I try to find a travel agent to book this, will all future date changes have to go through that TA, or could I deal with AA, the airline I hope to be ticketing trip?