You don't mention where you really want/need to go; but you've left a lot of miles on the table with this routing.

Here's a summary of the trip which is definitely not a mile-maximizer:

JNB-DOH-ORD - flying home after safari and visit to Vic Falls (Jan)
ORD-HDN-ORD - weekend ski trip to Steamboat Springs (Mar)
ORD-TUL-ORD - weekend trip to visit family (May)
- I know this is VERY low mileage but the ticket prices are usually high hence the good "value" by including this on the DONE4
ORD-LAX-HNL - Hawaii with some of the family (Jun)
HNL-NRT-PEK - visit to China with my wife (1 week - Jun/Jul)
PEK-HEL-DUB - visit to Ireland with wife (1 week - Jul)
DUB-MAD-JNB - finish the trip and start the next; likely just a few nights in MAD (Jul)

Enjoy your trips! Sounds very cool

If you want oneworld miles, BA/AA are selling RTM-ORD-ORY for £650 in J, US sectors in F. Just do that a few times. ;) (In fact you could even nest that into your present itinerary.)

We just booked a DONE4 with S7 at the lower end of the scale for the base fare. Just about to book another . .. have base fares increased?

What do you mean by "lower end of the scale for the base fare"? The base fare is the base fare, it can move up or down (lately mostly down) based upon the exchange rate of the MZN.

I meant lower end of the various airlines' fares that have been seen over the past few months. S7 was still cheaper than QF or BA but wondering if that has now changed...

From expertflyer ex-MPM:
DONE4:
AA $4637
BA $4637
S7 $4670

DONE5:
AA $5285
BA $5285
S7 $5319

DONE6:
AA $6428
BA $6428
S7 $6462

S7 only updated their fare on the morning of the 21st September. The 162300 MZN (about 2100 USD today) fare was around until then.

Quite possible to have a PNR priced at the old level but not ticketed for a couple of days after that.

Booking Reference versus Ticket
 

Hilarious timing (just not for me) on this post... I hadn't responded regarding the S7 fares because I was given a quote from S7 for around $3200 usd a few weeks ago for a DONE5 and didn't want to jinx it... I was finally given a Booking Reference on September 20. When I called to make payment on the 22nd they said they were having issues with the price... I checked EF and figured that the doscussed increase was the problem. I have emailed and called a few times since then but have not received a straight answer... my guess is that I am out of luck, even though I had already picked my seats for the first flight in November!

+1. Exact same thing happen to me! I was furious!

Did you give up on it rollthere?

Today I called in only to hear that my booking was cancelled due to non-payment.

I complained and immediately sent them my call log (approx 10 calls over the last week) and my email log, all indicating that I was trying to make payment, but that S7 would not allow me to due to technical difficulties... but always that things were 'fine, and it would be fixed shortly'. :rolleyes: ...

Hoping it will still work, otherwise I will need to find a different way back from SA once my current DONE4 is finished.

Some workarounds for QR married seqments
 

Having spent the last (not so) few weeks attempting to put together a couple of inexpensive xONEx fares, I have consistently experienced the "QR married segment" problem. In the course of discussing it with the TA (well worth the extra booking fee given the starting points) a relatively simple work around was discovered for the xONEx tickets. In a word code shares.

CAI-DOH-HKG on QR doesn't work but CAI(QR)-DOH(CX-QR metal)-HKG does.

ORD-DOH-CAI on QR doesn't work but ORD(AA-QR metal)-DOH(QR)-CAI does.

Well at least past the ticketing stages... It will be a number of months to see if QR will complain at boarding...

Given the lack of code shares being shown on the on-line booking engine, the TA becomes a requirement.

Happy wandering

Fred

Why would they complain at boarding?

Seems the back office is now complaining about the DOH-HKG when used with CX HKG-AKL, requiring the DOH-AKL direct flight be used. I'd really rather NOT take a 17 (or so) hour flight (9012 miles) as 11 hours is normally more than enough for me. We will see if there is a new complaint is as I just asked to turn HKG in to a stopover - 30+ hours. Though that reduce the stop in AKL to about 27 hours and I want to visit friends in WLG.

Alas I have the positioning flights already paid for and the date changes will be a pain since exCMB leaves at 0525 and through check of luggage is no more.

At least they are happy so far (I think/hope) I chose the long haul ORD-DOH on the return (even if it is the AA code share) ...

Happy wandering

Fred

PS: taxes (?) have gone up $A100 in one day I wonder what they would have done if I said change my CC yesterday... Why I am dealing with a TA not directly with the airline

Qatar is off its lips. Ask them to put out which one of the many, many rules supports this push.