Best RTW for Q Points
 

Hi everybody!

My wife and I are both EXP and we'd like to do a 1st class RTW for maximum Q points. I have enough UA FF miles to get to New Zealand, so I figured I'd start there as the prices are the best. But we could also start in Australia, I think it's about USD800 more per ticket.

I've done many RTWs, but only for business or pleasure, never to maximize mileage. We need to go east bound unfortunately, to get to ORD for a wedding and Mother's Day, but otherwise no other restrictions.

Desired stops are SYD, BNE, LAX, ORD, LHR, BRU, CDG, JNB, HKG. I figure we can spend a month or so.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[This message has been edited by RayinMaui (edited 04-04-2002).]

Venturing a guess that 5 continents would be good with 6 continents a possibility.

I think this one is within the rules.

http://gc.kls2.com/cgi-bin/gc?PATH=a...rw-per-bne-akl
[*] I think you can route through Europe to get to Africa from North America and head back to Europe, but can only stop one way, so try something like LAX-[LHR]-JNB-LHR, and whatever other legs you can pick up for Africa
[*] For Europe, do LHR-DXB-LHR and one other long-distance flight such as LHR-IST-LHR for your 4 European/Middle East legs.
[*] Use LHR as an entry point. Pay your own way to CDG and BRU (use oneworld passes or cheap tickets on BA)

Take a look at www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum83/HTML/000883.html for my 5 continent RTW that came in just over 83,000 miles. As terenz noted, for mileage you are better off doing long hauls (LHR-DXB and LHR-IST) for your European segments and buying cheap tickets for the short haul intra-Europe stuff (or take the Eurostar/TGV LON-PAR/BRU).

I'm in NZ now and will start the RTW from AKL on 10 April.


[This message has been edited by ExMo (edited 04-04-2002).]

Since I am travelling in coach so I don't have much consideration about 2-class/3-class flight, you may want to consider the following with your comfort.

NA:
LAX-SJU (longest transcon, but 2 class only)
DFW-ANC (longest segment, but 2 class only)
to fullfil your LAX/ORD req.
something like HKG-JFK-DFW-ANC-DFW-ORD-SJU-
LAX-LHR

Europe: -LHR-IST-LHR-DXB-LHR-

A tools you can use is download the AA time table and type in the big city pairs, sometime it will have 2 segments in one flight number, i.e. counted as 1 segment in RTW rule. (e.g. LAX-SJU)

Thanks everybody!

But now, due to a meeting in Silicon Valley late in April, I have to start my RTW trip late in May. So I'm thinking of starting it in Gibraltar and going west bound.

How do you figure out when you can go backwards. I mean like LHR - JNB- LHR - IST - LHR -DXB - LHR - HKG...? Any suggestions?

Thanks again for all the help.

Backtracking within a con is allowed, so LHR-IST-LHR-DXB-LHR is valid.

2 PERMITTED IN EUROPE TO/FROM/VIA
GHANA/NIGERIA. 1 MUST BE A TRANSIT
WITHOUT STOPOVER BETWEEN GHANA/
NIGERIA AND ANOTHER CONTINENT.

So 2 inter-con dep/arr is allowed in Europe is the above is met, I don't know JNB's case.