I have a business class RTW booked through AA. I am on CX from Europe to Bangkok connecting through Hong Kong.

When booked, it was a 3-1/2 hour connection at HKG. CX has removed that HKG-BKK flight from its schedule.

Rather than put me on an earlier flight with a 1:45 connection, or the next one with 2:45 connection, they automatically protected me on a flight that now has a 6-hour connection at HKG.

I called AA. Although there is "D" space available on both of the earlier flights, there is no RTW "D" availability.

Generally, the operating carrier will refer you to the issuing carrier for any change.

This is an involuntary change to the 6-hour connection. Do I push the issue with AA or contact CX directly?

Calling CX yourself is useless, they wont help you. You have three options:

• You can call the AA RTW desk and ask an agent there to call the oneworld liaison and ask them to contact CX and ask them to put you on your preferred flight, or
• You can ask the AA RTW desk to put you on different flights from Europe to HKG and HKG to BKK, or
• You can ask the AA RTW desk to put you on different flights with a different routing, e.g.,
  • Europe to Tokyo and Tokyo to BKK (e.g., on JL or BA to HND, then HND to BKK on JL)
  • Europe to LHR to HKG to BKK
  • Europe to HEL to BKK on the AY nonstop
  • Europe to DOH to BKK

Option 4. Accept 6:00hr connection in lieu of the sensible 2:45hr (extra 3:15hr in the lounge). 1:45hr does not give much margin for delays.

When my Doha flights were cancelled in March AA were able to rebook me on a LHR-HND in J (as in J fare bucket) instead of D. And it didn't even have to go to the rates desk and ticketing was instant. Can AA not do something similar here?

Thanks. Some good ideas.

I'll call the AA RTW desk and see what they can do.

Another shout out to nufnuf. He’s just booked a 16 sector done4 for me for next spring.
Professional and knowledgable service with lots of patience guiding me through the process with clear and prompt communications.

Hi folks, I'd welcome some advice on a DONE4 that I'm planning for next year with the aim of visiting Melbourne, Delhi, KL, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, NYC and San Francisco - especially confirmation on whether the itinerary will be valid under DONE4 rules.

The planned routing is:

OSL-DOH-MEL
MEL-NRT-DEL
DEL-NRT-KUL
KUL-NRT-SGN
SGN-NRT-CGK
CGK-NRT
HND-JFK
JFK-SFO
SFO-DOH-OSL

Is this a valid itinerary under DONE4 rules, or am I being to ambitious in what I can achieve with it?

Not valid.. Too many flight segments in Asia.
Mel kul *stop* (buy separate rt to sgn from kul)
Kul del *stop*
Del kul cgk *stop*
Cgk nrt sfo

The fare rules allow max four flight segments in each continent (six in North America), you have too many in Asia.

So if I take out SGN and still run those connections via NRT for KUL, DEL and CGK, I'll still be compliant with the rules, right?

Whether it's a connection or not is irrelevant. The limit is based on how many segments you have!

Excellent. Thank you.

No, as previously stated you are only allowed 4 flight segments in each continent (6 in North America). The following would work. Routing via KUL from MEL to DEL is also more convenient IMO, but I'm guessing your routing via NRT because you are wanting a mileage run. Add a trip to Alaska in North America if you're going for a mileage run. The following is 13 segments (11 flight segments and 2 open jaws), so you have 3 segments remaining. So if you are looking for a mileage run, then AS flies ANC to/from LAX four days a week; you could do JFK-LAX-ANC, ANC-LAX-SFO instead of JFK-SFO, or SEA instead of LAX as AS flies ANC to/from SEA daily.

OSL-DOH-MEL
MEL-NRT-DEL
DEL-KUL
KUL-SGN

Book separate SGN-CGK

CGK-NRT
HND-JFK
JFK-SFO
SFO-DOH-OSL

Have you checked if there are flights to/from NRT? And not the other Tokyo airport HND. If you end up with a NRT-HND ground segment that counts in the 16, but not in the continent count

Have you downloaded the rules?
FAQ "What are the RTW rules" in OW
https://www.oneworld.com/round-the-world

I'm optimising for destinations I want to visit. Tier points are then secondary, to maximise those within destinations I want to visit, hence why I'm happy to transit via NRT each time. I don't necessarily want to max out the 16 segments if it'll add more days. I want proper visits to Melbourne, Delhi, KL, NYC, SF, Tokyo and Jakarta (i.e. 3 days minimum each) so once you add the travel time, it's really starting to stretch the tri.

I can visit SGN some other time.

Does the burnt sector to switch from NRT to HND for the JFK flight count as a segment rather than a burnt sector out of the 16? If not, why does this not count as 4 Asian segments?

Melbourne: OSL-MEL (transit in Doha)
Delhi: MEL-DEL (transit in Narita)
KL: DEL-KUL (transit in Narita)
Jakarta: KUL-CGK (transit in Narita)
Tokyo: CGK-NRT
New York: HND-JFK
SF: JFK-SFO
Oslo: SFO-OSL (transit in Doha)

I've verified the flights out of NRT. It's the JFK flight that requires a switch to HND.

Read the rules. Ground segments count in the 16 maximum. But not for the continent counts.

Far better if the "transit in Narita" are listed in detail. They count as 2 segments

The rules are complicated and that’s why I’ve asked because there are always nuances. I’ve been told if you are flying KUL-NRT-CGK, that counts as one of the 4 segments. Are you saying that’s 2?

That's 2 flight segments.

KUL-NRT 1st segment
NRT-CGK 2nd segment
Each flight number counts as a segment.
Who was the person that "been told " counts as 1 segment? Ignore what they say.

On some flights like LHR-(SIN)-SYD that counts as 1 segment as would be ticketed LHR-SYD. Just happens to transit at SIN. And some passengers could be ticketed LHR-SIN and get off at SIN.

The rules are not that hard. Just print them out and read them several times. Have to comply with all rules.

Hi obamtl
Here's an itinerary that I think will work for you:It has stops at all the places you want.
It has four flight segments in Asia (SGN-KUL-CGK-HKG and TYO-DEL)
It has the required trans-atlantic flight (SFO-DOH)
It has the required trans-pacific flight (DEL-JFK - which looks like it's not trans-pacific, but is according to OneWorld - I guess because it is from Asia to North America)

Other Notes
Yes the rules are complicated, especially if you are new to them. I recommend the Oneworld Explorer User Guide Wiki, which is more readable.

The itinerary I posted uses only 12 of the allowed 16 segments. Your profile doesn't say where you are located, but if it is in Nth America then you could make use of the four remaining segments to have an extra trip, or two, any time before the 1-year anniversary of your departure from Oslo.

Assuming this trip is pleasure, not business - might DPS be a better choice than CGK?

Edited to add:
I've just realised that Qantas flies CGK-MEL, so HKG could be dropped from the itinerary I posted
Meaning only 11 segments are being used
Which in turn means five segments would be available to use later

Some aspects of the rules are indeed complicated with different airlines sometimes interpreting them different ways.

Most people in this thread will be happy to assist.

This is really helpful, thanks. I’m UK based.

These flights will be credited to BA, hence why trying as much as possible to prioritise JL and QR over other airlines, and why I was trying to use JL to hop around Asia. If a flight with JL from KUL to SGN going through NRT uses up 2 of the 4 Asian segments, then I’ll have to significantly rethink the itinerary as it means hopping around Asia may not be viable using a DONE4.

Now that I have a better understanding of your aims, how about this 14-flight itinerarySalient features:
44,534 mile, 12-flight RTW from OSL to MAN (or any other UK airport to which QR flies)
of which
37,354 miles, 8 flights are on either QR or JL
Plus
6,447 miles, 2 QR flight MAN-DOH-OSL to be taken any time within the ticket's 12-month validity
Plus
According to expertflyer.com QR codeshares on AA's JFK-SFO flights

Off the wall suggestion:
When you are back in the UK, you could change your ticket to a DONE5, and fly MAN-DOH-CPT-DOH-OSL
15,677 miles, 4 QR flights
Incremental cost would be NOK8226 plus taxes and charges

Yeah, that's pretty much what I assumed.

• Quote:

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  Originally Posted by anabolism (Post 37775820)

  You can call the AA RTW desk and ask an agent there to call the oneworld liaison and ask them to contact CX and ask them to put you on your preferred flight

  ---

The AA RTW desk was very helpful, but they said the answer from CX was no because the earlier flights are already very heavily booked (and they are).

• Quote:

  ---

  Originally Posted by anabolism (Post 37775820)

  You can ask the AA RTW desk to put you on different flights from Europe to HKG and HKG to BKK

  ---

I am flying from Paris so there is only one flight a day on CX. I really didn't want to change it to two connections.

• Quote:

  ---

  Originally Posted by anabolism (Post 37775820)

  You can ask the AA RTW desk to put you on different flights with a different routing, e.g.,

  • Europe to Tokyo and Tokyo to BKK (e.g., on JL or BA to HND, then HND to BKK on JL)
  • Europe to LHR to HKG to BKK
  • Europe to HEL to BKK on the AY nonstop
  • Europe to DOH to BKK

  ---

Can't connect through TYO as it is a TYO RTW so landing there would end the RTW.

I have never flown AY and the reports I have read make the business seat look a little funky to me. Plus I would prefer the Asian type service to a European type service.

Wife wasn't to happy with the idea of connecting through the Middle East in light of on-going events (although I have a QR ticket later this year, so I am less concerned).

End result is we'll "suffer" through a 6-hour connection at HKG in the F lounge.

But thanks for the great suggestions!

What I do is buy my own side tickets to visit additional places. So, for example, I'll have an RTW stop in Singapore, and get my own ticket SIN-KUL-SIN. As far as the RTW is concerned, I have a stop in SIN that's x days. It doesn't matter that some of those days I'm actually flying to KUL, staying there, and flying back. When segment-constrained, it makes sense to use RTW segments for long flights and buy your own for short ones.

In case anyone still has doubts about the AA RTW desk, they saved me with a last minute rebooking so I could escape Tokyo before Typhoon Jangmi arrived.. and avoid the awful mess at HND with flight delays and cancellations. Just imagine trying to push through that situation with QF.