I am getting a RTW first class ticket starting from HKG. Right now I am flying HKG-BKK-LHR.

Is it possible to fly HKG-BKK-HKG-LHR?

Another option I am thinking about is going from HKG to KUL to BKK to LHR. However, I cannot find a flight from KUL-BKK. Am I allowed to go back to HKG to connect to BKK? I.e. HKG-KUL-HKG-BKK-LHR.

Thanks for any advice you may have.

bagold,

if you originate in Asia you are permitted 2 stopovers and they MUST be at your intercontinental gateways. You are permitted 5 segments within Asia and you may do any routing you chose including connecting through Hong Kong more than once.

Therefore if you want to do HKG-BKK-HKG-LHR you will not be permitted to stop in BKK since HKG is you intercontinental gateway. That said the prices out of BKK are signifigantly cheaper then prices out of HKG, therefore buy a seperate ticket from HKG to BKK and originate your RTW in BKK with a stop in HKG before your flight to LHR and you will accomplish what i believe you want at a lower price.

rich

rich,

Thanks for the explanation. I am still a little confused. If HKG is my intercontinental gateway (because I want to go HKG-LHR), does that mean I can do the following:

HKG-KUL-HKG (STOP)
HKG-BKK-HKG (STOP)
HKG-LHR....

For KUL & BKK - I'm thinking of only doing a day trip with no check-in luggage. Does that constitute a stop?

I must have gotten this wrong. It sounds too good to be true!

bagold,

No you cannot do your proposed route. One rule that i failed to mention last time is that you cannot go back to the country of origination until your last segment.

However if you originate in BKK you could fly to KUL for a day and then return with a stop in HKG. However you cannot fly from BKK to HKG (stop) and then fly to KUL and stop again in HKG before your flight to London, since this would violate the stop only permitted at your intercontinental gateway.

You could however (again assuming a BKK origination) fly from BKK to HKG (stop) do you RTW trip and then arrive back in Asia at HKG (stop) then fly to KUL for less than 24 hours and return to HKG. Your ticket would read XXX-HKG(stop)-KUL-HKG-BKK and you would throw out your last segment.

Hope this helps and check out the 1 World price chart. An origination in HKG is VERY expensive when compared to any other part of Asia.

rich

Some wrong, some right.

Firstly - there are no oneworld flights between BKK and KUL. But yes, BKK and SIN (CX and AY). But....see below:

If you originate in Asia. You are allowed only one stopover before you leave that continent. You are NOT permitted to go through an 'international' Oneworld gateway. BKK, KUL, SIN, TPE, NRT, MNL are all international oneworld gateways.

So, you are allowed to fly from HKG to one of these cities only, the fly off directly to your next continent. You are not allowed to even allowed to transit through another city. ie HKG-BKK-SIN- xxx even if you are only connecting in SIN. You can either only do HKG-BKK - xxx or HKG-SIN - xxx. Upon your return, you may stop once at an intercontinental gateway (see above) enroute to HKG. Again, no transits allowed enroute to HKG. ie say from SYD-SIN (stop), you must fly directly to HKG after that. No lingering on to a connection via BKK for more miles.

The 5 sectors within asia does not apply when one begins from asia. Hence you have in theory only 2 sectors to work with.

Trust me on this - I just had to deal with CX , AA and BA on 9 RTW First Class tickets originating from TPE !

[This message has been edited by Guy Betsy (edited 07-15-2000).]

Guy Betsy,

I will defer to you since you have done this many many times.

This is my first origination in Asia, however, I will say that I am now in possesion of a 1-World RTW ticket that reads:

SEL-HKG-TPE-HKG (stop)-SYD

I am making a stop in HKG before my flight to SYD. The other flights are less than 24 hours apart. In addition I think ChrissMoss7 was able to do the same with his published 1 World Itinerary where he did:

SEL - HKG - NRT - HKG - SIN - MEL

I believe he did not stay in any Asian city more than 24 hours.

Perhaps, I was lucky since I bought the ticket in the USA (at the Korean price), the AA RTW desk here may not have been aware of this rule.

rich



[This message has been edited by RichLond (edited 07-15-2000).]

I can only quote what I'm reading from their rules on Oneworld fares. If the airline or travel agent misses this rule, then you'd benefit from it.

Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense. I would really like to do HKG-BKK-HKG-LHR (day trip to BKK) but it sounds like I can only do HKG-BKK-LHR.

If I do the latter routing, do you know whether they have showers at the lounge in BKK? Would really love to have one before going to LHR after being out in BKK for the day.

BA Gold

Didn't notice the presence of showers at the BA/QF lounge in BKK when I was there in January. There might be one but it isn't publicised.

Yes. I did SEL-HKG-NRT-HKG-SIN-SYD..... Up until SYD, we spent less than 24 hours in each city. I would have to go back and read the rules to see if it says you can't have a transit through the origin country or not. We did, but it could have been a fluke. I booked my trip with AA as a departure from SEL if that helps.

CMoss

the OW RTW rules are very complicated and also very confusing - not only to the passenger but also to TA's and the airlines themselves. in my experience every person i have approached with a question has given me a different response.

In India for example BA in DEL and BA in BOM differ in their interpretation of the 5 Asia sectors / stopover rules. One says no problem and the other doesnt allow it.

The best option is to take your itin to the airline or TA and ask them to issue it. if nobody objects take it and run .... if they object propose something else until you get what you need.

i'm strongly in favor of OW issuing some type of uniform rules manual or something so people dont waste so much time with their RTW fares.

BTW - the OW RTW is not as good / flexible / competitive as the *A RTW however the 3 CON fares are sub stantially cheaper. so if you have a simple itin OW may be better but for complex routings *A is much better - my opinion

oh yeah - the BA/QF lounge at BKK does have showers. when you go down the escalator turn left and go into the passage way and the showers are back there.

good luck

I believe indogulf has got it right when he says each airline (and perhaps each office of each airline) interpret the rules differently. According to GuyBetsy, CX interprets the rules very rigidly. AA on the other hand is much more liberal.

Two of my friends just bought tickets from AA in America at SEL prices with originations in SEL. AA now allows Asia originations to make 2 stops in Asia. One of these stops can be anywhere in Asia, the other must be at the Intercontinental arrival or departure gateway.

On a downside AA did not allow them to choose the sectors to downgrade in order to get an extra segment at a coach price. AA now says the segments past MAX permitted in a continent are the ones that must be downgraded to get the 100 dollar addon.

rich

BAGold - there are indeed showers in the Quantas/BA lounge in Bangkok Turn 180 when you go down the steps, head towards the toilets and the showers are adjoining. Beats the crappy CX BKK lounges hands down.