Dr. HFH

Are you going to tell him, or let it be a surprise for when he gets to the airport and checks in?

VaguelyCynical

I've been enjoying planning my first RTW (a Sept departure) for while now and am finally about ready to actually take the leap on purchasing it. I've read a lot of comments on here about different booking options but am a bit confused about whether/how things have changed over the years. How would folks recommend I book this itinerary? (Background: I live in the USA, only speak English, am an AA member w/ no status, this is a leisure RTW not a mileage run, and I will only be arriving to JNB a week before departing)

1. JJ | JNB-GRU
2. JJ | GRU-EZE
3. LA | EZE-SCL
4. LA | SCL-IPC
5. LA | IPC-SCL
6. QF | SCL-SYD
7. QF | SYD-BKK
8. surface sector
9. MH | KUL-DEL
10. JL | DEL-NRT
11. JL | NRT-PEK
12. CX | PEK-HKG
13. RJ | HKG-AMM
14. RJ | AMM-BCN
15. surface sector
16. BA | LGW-MRU

So far, I've been thinking about:

• Calling AA (is there still an RTW desk–if so how do I find that number?) - Not sure if it's currently unlikely they would book it for me with no AA flights.
• Calling QF (general number, I think, is only option?)
• Booking it via the online RTW tool with LHR-JNB as the last flight and later pay the change fee to correct the itinerary.
• Or, alternatively, is there a way to just partially book it online and then call someone and have them change that final flight pre-ticketing? Does AA still ticket on behalf of JJ when using the online tool?

Thanks very much in advance for the advice - and also feel free to point out any glaring oversights in my itinerary!

wandering_fred

The possibilities of changes to a exCAI xONEx are becoming interesting.
1. The AA schedule changes when matched with separate bookings (mixture of award and paid) for one's partner.
2. QR insisting that if it flies the intercontinental routes, they won't ticket someone else.

I finally resolved the trans-Pacific schedule mis-connect with the help of the AA RTW desk (though only because we both mis-connected). But kudos to the person manning the RTW phone line for the interest in resolving it with the AA award area (though I had to find the QF award flights domestically)

Now if I could just get another airline to re-issue rather than saying QR must make the changes.

Again only wandering

Fred

JAXBA

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaguelyCynical

I've been enjoying planning my first RTW for while now and am finally about ready to actually take the leap on purchasing it.... [snip]

1. JJ | JNB-GRU
... [snip]
14. RJ | AMM-BCN
15. surface sector
16. BA | LGW-MRU

So far, I've been thinking about:

• Calling AA (is there still an RTW desk–if so how do I find that number?) - Not sure if it's currently unlikely they would book it for me with no AA flights.

Should be able to use AA, despite no AA segs. I wasn't able to find their number looking quickly, sorry.

Quote:

• Calling QF (general number, I think, is only option?)

Could do that. Or BA.

Quote:

• Booking it via the online RTW tool with LHR-JNB as the last flight and later pay the change fee to correct the itinerary.

Any reason why not just book it how you want it to begin with? Now if the online tool won't do surface sectors then okay - but if that's the case, wouldn't surface sector 8 affect you too?

Quote:

• Or, alternatively, is there a way to just partially book it online and then call someone and have them change that final flight pre-ticketing? Does AA still ticket on behalf of JJ when using the online tool?

You can't partially book because the tool validates the itinerary, to make sure it qualifies. If the tool does error, it'll be to say something's wrong with an itin that should be valid - don't think we've had any reports of errors in our favour where something gets through that shouldn't...

skunker

AA RTW is 1-800-247-3247

VaguelyCynical

Thanks, JAXBA and skunker! Will report back after I give it a shot.

I get an error with the online tool with any itinerary ending at a different location than it began (even though starting in JNB and ending in MRU is obviously permitted).

skunker

Maybe the online tool is getting the S. Africa/ Mauritius rule confused. You aren't hitting Europe/ME twice, so it shouldn't matter.

rollthere

Since you're losing a segment by transiting LHR/LGW have you considered just flying LHR-JNB and then JNB-MRU? I know it's a four hour flight on a 737, but it seems to give you another option (as well as more miles) and you will have a long (more comfortable) segment on a 747/380.

Edit: I see your surface segment is BCN-LGW rather than simply transiting LHR/LGW. So obviously you're only left with that one segment so obviously my suggestion wouldn't work unless you could get to MAD rather than BCN. Just a thought. :-)

Raul2014

I am looking to book a multileg all OW HKG-AKL-LIM-MAD-PVG-SGN and I just see priceline showing it but then it doesnt process after putting in the card details and its not a card issue for sure. Any pointers where to book it?

christep

Via a travel agent?

headinclouds

I have found that the online booking sites don't know how to use these specialized OW global fares. The default tends to be the sum of one way fares for each segment.

anabolism

In theory, any OneWorld airline can take over the ticket. In practice, some are much more willing to do so than others, and it certainly helps if they have flights in the ticket. AA RTW desk is quite good, but they won't touch an ex-CAI ticket that was issued after they pulled the fare. Other reports are that CX did a nice job in person at HKG, although it took quite a few hours (the poster had an 8-hour transit).

I assume this was issued after AA pulled the fare? AA RTW told me that's why they couldn't take over my ex-CAI ticket. Can your original ticketing airline make the date/time changes?

VaguelyCynical

As promised, reporting back now that my RTW is (finally) successfully ticketed. This is my first, and I can't emphasize enough how essential FT was to making this – and my now-upcoming yearlong vacation – a reality. Thanks to all the experts here who are so generous with their knowledge!

The short version: After a few phone calls and a lot of messages with their Twitter support team, Qantas successfully ticketed my ex-JNB LONE5 for only a little more $ than the online tool (which errored out every time) indicated it should be.

The long version:

1. First Attempt - Call with QF (30 min) - Agent said they had no way to book any RTW if the website didn't work, and that if there was an error at payment it meant the itinerary was invalid in some way.
2. Second Attempt - Call with AA RTW Desk (15 min) - Agent said it was impossible for AA to ticket any RTW without an over-ocean marketed by AA.
3. Third Attempt - Call with QF (3 hours) - Got lucky and got an agent who was willing to try hard to make it work. We spent the first hour walking through my full itinerary in the online tool to "prove" that it was a payment-related error, not an invalid itinerary. Spent the second hour mostly on hold while she manually constructed that itinerary in a different system. And then spent the third hour in a game of telephone between me, her, and the rate desk as they claimed a number of new reasons my itinerary wasn't valid (detailed below). Call ended when I asked the primary agent to allow me to speak to the rate desk agent - I was transferred and while introducing myself she hung up on me.
   • Royal Jordanian isn't a Oneworld carrier.
   • You can't start and end in different parts of Africa. (pointed out the exception in the rules)
   • You can only start/end in different parts of Africa if you also have an intra-Africa segment as part of your overall itinerary.
   • The website says "additional terms and conditions may apply" so we can say no to whatever we want.
   • Mauritius is an island so it's not actually part of Africa (or any other continent).
   • "I looked at a map with my supervisor and Mauritius is clearly not part of Africa."
   • You can only book to Mauritius using a travel agent, it's impossible for us.
4. Fourth Attempt - Call with QF (2 hours) - Called back immediately and somehow was lucky enough to get an agent who knew the agent I just spent 3 hours on the phone with and was willing to find out from her where my itinerary was temporarily saved. She tried one more time with the rate desk - who again told her Mauritius wasn't part of Africa - and then I gave up and had her take my payment with LHR-JNB as the final segment instead of LGW-MRU.
5. Success! - Messages with Qantas Twitter Support - At this point I wrote a direct message to QF's Twitter support succinctly detailing the above and asking for help. They took over my reservation and over the next 24 hours figured out that I was correct it was valid and promised they'd figure out how to ticket the itinerary with MRU in it. It took a full week from first message to receiving my ticketing confirmation, but was so much less painful than any more calls.

The final price (3080 USD including taxes/fees) was a little higher than expected from the online tool (2954 USD including taxes/fees) but oh well. I was curious and figured out the price difference was mainly due to an additional YQ charge of $120 - couldn't figure out which flight that came from.

If I had this to do over again I think I would have simply gotten a QF agent to the point where the itinerary was input manually into their system & had a record locator and then switched to Twitter messages for the full pricing/questions back and forth. When I need to change dates for the second-half of my RTW I'll try just messaging them the changes I want.

One other note I hadn't seen posted here, so sharing in case it's not well-known: While you can only select seats for LA flights on LATAM.com - not JJ flights - you can select seats for your JJ flights on the RJ website.

danger

What an extraordinary tale. It's almost unfathomable how difficult oneworld makes it.

Full Score

Christep: I notice that you regularly tell people to use a travel agent as the answer to oneworld booking problems. Do you represent one or more?

I've found that many TAs just don't want the bother of dealing with RTWs - the rewards are too slender for the hassle involved.