I asked in AA forum but Fters suggested this Forum will have more experts!

link:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum71/HTML/002882.html

My Origin: DTW

Restriction on Destination/Duration:
1. I can leave DTW anytime after 19Apr, Preferred after 23 April

2. I MUST appear at PRG on April 30 or BEFORE

3. I can leave PRG 22June or after

4. Time stay in HK is really flexible, and travel within Asia (singapore?Japan?... is loved)

5. I must appear in DTW 2Sept latest.


My first intention is to get cheapest ticket, but if a RTW ticket proved to be more economical in term of mileage, then my aim will be milage maximization.

Thanks!

To summarize my post from the other thread for new readers on this thread: Three round trip tickets DTW-LHR/AA, LHR-PRG/BA, LHR-HKG/BA appears to be a little cheaper (US$2000) than a 3-continent RTW from YYZ (US$2300 plus an inexpensive DTW-YYZ train). But, if mileage maximization is a goal, a 3 to 5 continent OWE ex-YYZ may be worthwhile.

My question was whether the following was a legal 5-continent OWE routing (parentheses indicate transit points):

AA: YYZ-(ORD)-LHR-
BA: PRG-(LHR)-JNB-(LHR)-
CX: HKG-(LAX)-
LA: SCL-(MIA)-
AA: SJU-(DFW)-ANC-(DFW)-SAN-(LAX-JFK)-BOS-(ALB-ORD)-YYZ

Even the straight 3-continent RTW might be worth it if the CX routing is HKG-(YVR-JFK)- and the JNB/SCL parts are dropped., as long as the NA segments can be done last.

ElmhurstNick,

You have way too many stops and segments in NA. You are only permitted two stops in your continent of origin of which one must be an intercontinental gateway.

In addition you will need to obtain a Canadian address if you want your CX miles to count toward AAdvantage.

Assuming you elect to do a RTW a good start may be

YYZ - LAX - LHR - PRG
PRG - LHR - DXB
DXB - LHR - SIN
SIN - HKG - NRT
NRT - HKG
HKG - LAX - DFW - ANC
ANC - DFW - DTW
DTW - ORD - YYZ

By including DTW as your last stop you can use the last dtw - ord - yyz segments to get you to Canada for your next RTW.

However, my guess is there is a cheaper non alliance RTW fare that will get you to the cities you want, but will not offer the mileage maximizer the 1-World option does.

rich

Thanks! Some questions: (I never had a RTW trip before)

1. Where is DXB considered, is that Europe according to RTW rule? Is that used for mile maximization or it is a really good place to visit?

2. So that means the above itn will be:
3 cont. with
Europe= PRG,LHR and DXB
Asia= SIN, NRT and HKG
N.A.= YYZ(starting point count as 1, right?), ANC and DTW. (but which one is "international gateway"?)

3. I know it is 3 stop/cont, but are there any max connection a city can have? (e.g. above "LHR" is connected 3 times or connected 2 times with 1 time stopover, can any city connects more than that?)

MANY Thanks!

P.S. How long can I stay in one place and how long this trip can last?
(I need two months in Prague and 1.5 months in HKG, also how long the "remining" DTW-ORD-YYZ" segment valid?)



[This message has been edited by HK-UMICH (edited 03-12-2001).]

HK-MICH
I think DXB is M-E (part of Europe but you're only allowed 2 of the 4 Europe & M-E flights to/from there). If not, you could always fly BA LON-CAI-LON.

You're allowed 5 segments within Asia IIRC so use them to your advantage.

There's no maximum and minimum stay per destination. However, there are a minimum no. of days between the start and finish of the itinerary (not a problem for you) and usually a time to completion of either 6 or 12 months.

Don't forget a stop of <24 hrs is a connection and not a stopover.

HK

Good catch. My above flights also have an illegal stop in NA. After ANC you will need to return to YYZ without another stop to avoid a charge.

You could still use the above routing, however you could only stay in DTW for 24 hours.

rich

rich

1. DXB is probably the longest run as far as "europe" is concerned
2. you can add always 150US$ to add an extra stop anywhere (not sure if it works for your home continent)

richlond, i don't understand the canadian address part. cx is part of OW, and there is no reason CX miles won't be put into AAdv. or u r talking about the extra bonus?

Discounted economy fares on CX don't count in AAdvantage unless you have a Canadian address.

Not really a help to cut costs, but the total cost of an upgraded owe is going to be significantly less than segments with upgrades. US-Europe alone is going to be a lot more.

Thanks for the catch re NA - I thought you were allowed 5 stops on any continent. Oh well...

Two more questions for my own edifictation:

1. If HK-UMICH had time for a fourth continent, could he do ...-LHR-JNB-LHR-SIN-... all on BA, or would he have to fly nonstop to Asia on CX (which would cause a problem with no discount economy miles).

2. Likewise, if he wanted to add South America, could he transit at LAX to get from NRT-SCL on AA/LA, since there isn't any other way to get from Asia-SA on OneWorld than transiting in the US?

Questions concerning stops/segments:

I read somewhere that the rule is 3 stops per continent while some also menioned "segments", so what is the valid rule?

If I fly SIN-(HKG)-NRT (at HK it is transit, i.e. less than 24 hours), then will this count as 1 segment or 2 segments?

Are there any max connection a city can have? (HKG and LHR will be two cities for majorities connections)

Also, please assume I can have a Canadian Address I am very interested in flying transpacific in CX!

THANKS!!

ElmurstNick:

In answer to your question:

1) No. You would have to travel LHR - JNB - HKG. After leaving Europe you cannot return.

2) Yes. If you simply transit LAX to South America you could add SA as a continent using your routing since 2 intercontinental departures are permitted for NA if SA is one of your continents.


HK,

1) 3 stops per continent with the exception of your continent of origination.

2) SIN - (HKG) - NRT is 2 segments whether you stop or not in HKG.

3) As of 1 week ago with a BA issued ticket there are no max transits per city.

rich




[This message has been edited by RichLond (edited 03-13-2001).]

in addition to the stopover constraint, there is also a max segment constraint (5 or 6, i forgot)

LHR-HKG-TPE on ba025 (or 027 i forgot), or CX889 jfk(yvr)hkg might be counted as 1 segment since it is one flight number such that HKG/yvr is invisible to the system, but then foir your mileage acct you only got one segment and one great circle mile credited

[This message has been edited by pegasus8228 (edited 03-13-2001).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pegasus8228:
[B]1. DXB is probably the longest run as far as "europe" is concerned[QUOTE]

Almost- Muscat (in Oman) is actually the longest LHR-"Europe" run on BA- very nice 777 flight for almost 4000 base miles.

Question about price and pricing for the RTW:

1. Since I intent to use YYZ to start to take advantage of cheaper fare from Canada, do the agent/RTW desk must be in Canada? (e.g. AA's RTW vs BA(Canada)'s RTW Desk)

2. Normally travel agents can provide much cheaper US-Asia flights than airline themselves (e.g. My DTW-HKG ticket last spring is $8xx from agent verus $11xx which was listed fare and printed on ticket).
Can I get the OWE Ticket from agent that will be cheaper than to get it from airline's RTW desk? Again, will this agent must be in Canada or?

THANKS!!