I am planning a three-continent OWE in F ex-BKK for late-September and would appreciate some assistance on routing. I have four limitations: (1) I need to get a minimum of 49,000 base miles, (2) travel must be westbound with stopovers in JNB and JFK, (3) JNB to JFK must be most direct route (JNB-LHRx-JFK), (4) fly F as much as possible

My questions are:

1. Since Africa and North America will be two continents, which continent should I pick as the third for max mileage?

2. Is CX via HKG my only option for getting from BKK to JNB? I assume that I cannot transit LHR (or any other European city) on my way from BKK-JNB, since I will have to use my one European transit for JNB-JFK.

3. How can I get max mileage on four segments in Africa (while flying F), while ending up in JNB?

4. Any recommendations for a travel agent in JNB who I can contact re: safaris or OWEs?

5. Is there a commonly known set of six longest segments that are applicable for OWE in North America?

Thanks for your help. Tom yum and Singha in BKK for your assistance.

You cannot do your itinerary on a 3 Continent OWE. You will be travelling through Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. This is the same issue facing those who wish to include Australia. Even with a single flight number - SYD-LHR, the fact it touches down in BKK or SIN counts as an arrival in Asia.

BKK-HKG is your only option

I don't see any F mileage opportunities. Comair (BA Franchise) only offer Business.

Try www.renniestravel.co.za
They issued my ex-JNB OWE. Remember they can only issue ex-SA OWE's and if you ask them to issue it ex-BKK you will be charges the same if a BKK based TA did it.

The transcons - East Coast to West Coast are the obvious ones, but there are others such as DFW-SJU, but this only offers Business and Economy so you lose F earning. The same applies to flights from Canda. AA class these as Biz and Econ.

[This message has been edited by Gaza (edited 08-21-2002).]

Thanks. I guess Europe has to be my third continent if I have to transit it to go from JNB to JFK. But should Asia count as a continent? I thought the continent of departure is not counted. I do not plan any stopovers in Asia.

I'm afraid your continent of origin DOES count whether you stop or not. If this was not the case, then a HKG-YVR-JFK-LHR-HKG would only be 2 continents! There is no such thing as a OWE2!

As I said above, the same applies to someone routing UK-ASIA-AUSTRALIA-AMERICA. It is 4 Continets. You are routing ASIA-AFRICA-EUROPE-AMERICA. Again, 4 Continents. I'm 99% certain I am correct, but if I am wrong I apologise. I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but the rules are quite clear.

Example from the OWE Rules:-

[This message has been edited by Gaza (edited 08-21-2002).]

I do two or three DONE3/4 every year, and Gaza ia right. If you want to start in BKK, go to JNB and JFK then it is a AONE4 ticket. That being so, getting your mileage target should be no problem. Remember that one possibility for maximising F in Africa is that you can enter Europe (LHR) twice if one is a transit without stopover between Ghana or Nigeria and another continent.

Maybe it would be better for you to use an AGLOB34 ticket?

Well, I won't be relying on my friendly but clueless Amex travel agent in BKK anymore!

OK, so now I have to be on a 4 continent OWE, but there still seem to be some scheduling problems. I'm thinking:
BKK-HKG-DEL-LHR-DXB-LHR-IST-LHR-CPT-3 AFRICA segments-JNB-LHR(x)-JFK-6 NA segments-HKG-BOM-BKK

1. Can I split my Asia segments such that I do DEL at the start and BOM on my return?

2. Am I still running into the two entries into Europe problem, one from Asia and one in transit to the US? If so, then what option do I have to get from JNB to JFK?

3. Do you know of any sites that have the OWE route maps for Africa?

4. Is LHR-DXB-LHR-IST-LHR the longest OW segements that I can take in Europe?

Thanks for your help.

Yes in principle, but you are only allowed two stopovers in Asia in total.

Yes. That is still a problem unless the last stop in Africa before the transit in LHR is in either Ghana or Nigeria.

Have you considered flying directly from Asia to Africa (i.e. CX HKG-JNB) then doing all of your European legs after that?

Presumably you could fly to RUH (Riyadh) instead of IST. That would be longer.

So perhaps:

BKK-CMB-HKG-JNB-4 Africa segments-JNB-LHR-DXB-LHR-RUH-LHR-JFK-6 NA segments-JFK-HKG-BOM-BKK

Not sure whether DEL is a requirement. The problem being that it is direct from HKG and you have a 4 segment limit in Asia. Note also that of the CMB, HKG, HKG, BOM arrivals only two can be stopovers - the others must be transits. Remember also that only one of the six NA segments can be a transcon.

The fundamental problem with this is that it violates your requirement 3). I can see no way of going JNB-LHR(x)-JFK and somehow getting the 4 segments within Europe.

I ask again - what about a Global Explorer 34 fare? It would be a little more expensive, but the restriction is on total miles (34000) and stopovers (max 15 - max 2 in region of origin, 4 in any other). No restriction on segments. Surface segments counted in the 34000.

Riyadh is middle east. you already have DXB.
so i think you have already maximized you european segments.

the main problem for you is that you want to go 'straight' from JNB to JFK. i.e. if u take HKG-JNB you cannot fit the euro segments in between.
the other common mileage maximizer is to fly LHR-LAX (instead of LHR-JFK), which is not what you desire either.

i see no way around it. unless you can relax either your constraint of west bound or jnb-jfk.

christep, thanks for your comments.

DEL is now a requirement and is the only stopover needed in Asia. So I could start off as BKK-HKG-DEL-HKG.

If I cant get around the two-entries into Europe problem, then I will have to get to JNB via CX.

I'm having a problem finding any long intra-Africa OW flights. Any suggestions?

My wife and I will be flying JNB-LHR-JFK, so I will not be able to do any European segments after Africa and will only be able to use Europe as transit.

So my itinerary will look like BKK-HKG-DEL-HKG-JNB-4 AFRICA SEGMENTS?-LHR-JFK-6 US SEGS-HKG-BKK. I'm up to 30K base miles (not including the US and Africa segs) so still need another 15-20 from the US to make my target.

I didnt consider Global Explorer since I want to fly more than 34,000 base miles on this trip.

quite tough for 15-20 base miles in 6 american segments.
but if you include the J/F bonud u r fine.

consider dfw-sju and dfw/stl-anc (but note anc route is mostly off in the winters).

Sorry - forgot the rule about not more than two segments between the UK and the Middle East.

As an alternative:

[oops - deleted - brain fade put Nairobi in Nigeria not Kenya :| ]

Then for 12000 in six segments in NA how about...

JFK-LAX-STL-ANC-STL-MIA-JFK (without checking the AA schedules to see how doable that is).

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 08-22-2002).]

Gaza, christep and pegasus8228- thanks for your replies.

It seems that I am going to drop Africa from the itinerary as it does not make sense given the cost and the limited OW network within Africa. I had planned a short safari in JNB followed by a week in NY but now I have talked my wife into a week in Europe (LHR and CDG) and a week in NY. She will meet me in LHR and I will take a three continent OWE with the following tentative itinerary:
BKK-HKG-DEL-LHR-DXB-LHR-CDG-JFK-6 US segments-HKG-CMB-BKK

I realize I am using only three segments in Europe, and am toying with the idea of doing another LHR-DXB-LHR set while buying the fifth segment (LHR-CDG). Does that make sense- pay $150 for the 1 hour flight and use all four European segments between LHR and DXB?

I will still need to think through how to max the six segments in the US. Right now I'm thinking LGA-ANC-LGA-DFW-SJU-DFW-JFK. I'm hoping someone comes up with a better route.

christep-missed your reply. I guess that rules out a second roundtrip to DXB.

How about taking in Madrid as well in Europe...

LHR-DXB-LHR-MAD-CDG

using Iberia?

Or LHR-DXB-LHR-HEL-CDG using Finnair

Or LHR-DXB-LHR-DUB-CDG using Aer Lingus?

I don't think you can fly LGA-ANC on AA can you?

Yeah, I'm thinking of one stop in Spain as well.

LGA-ANC is showing up on the AA schedule as flight AA3081 (its via STL). Total 3375 miles.