RTW trip - how to get it as cheap as possible
 

I am planning on flying from Los Angeles to Sydney. Then flying from Sydney to Johannesburg. I want to then fly back to Los Angeles via London. I did some pricing and the cheapest I found was around $3700 in coach. Any ideas on how to get cheaper tickets?

1. Try a 2 airline RTW (was your original quote for some alliance?) where the two partners cover all legs. BA and QF (alone) would work. One such as Cathay Pacific with South African Airways might also work if it exists.

2. go in low season

3. go out of Canada (fares slightly lower than ex-U.S.)

4. Stop in London for < 24 hrs (your itinerary suggests a 4-continent i.e., N. America-Australia-Africa-Europe-North America. You might be able to cut out a continent that way.

A CX/SA RTW if it exists would leave you stuck in London with no flights back to North America. Or if you took an SAA flight to North America from JNB you'd be stranded in ATL or JFK.

There is a UA/SA RTW fare where you pay per mile depending on class and season which would allow LAX-SYD-JNB-LHR-LAX. I assume you can use the QF-operated SA-coded flight between SYD-JNB as the fare is sold in SYD and there would otherwise be no way to get between SYD and South Africa.

If you want to stick to BA/QF then there is the Global Explorer RTW as well as the Oneworld Explorer.

Something right out of left field would be to buy an LAX-AKL-SIN-LAX return (as discussed in a recent Oneworld thread)for $US1100. Only use the LAX-AKL segment then pick up a ticket in AKL AKL-SYD-JNB-LHR-LAX-AKL for about $US1000. You can either throw away the remaining coupons of the two tickets or use the LAX-AKL coupon to then pick up your AKL-SIN-LAX from the ticket you started on. Both tickets are valid for 12 months and allow date changes for $US75 or so. So you could have a RTW for $US2100 and then have a Circle Pacific for no extra cost. All travel would be on AA/BA/QF, except the SIN-AA Asia gateway which would be on any airline as long as it was a direct flight.

[This message has been edited by 3544quebec (edited 07-27-2001).]