Backtracking Problem - Need Quick Advice
 

I have been trying to help a friend who is in
Australia right now and was thinking of purchasing a ticket with the following stops
(/=surface)
per-syd-chc/akl-hkg-hel-lkl-hel-osl-arn/hel-jfk-dfw-anc-dfw-jfk-sjo-jfk-lim/lpb-scl-puq-scl-gig-jfk-hkg-dps-sin-bkk-per

The Qantas One World people are saying this is backtracking - specifically going from South America to Asia. Like beauty, I realise backtracking is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. I have had one agent at AA one world desk tell me EUR-ASIA-AFRICA-OZ was backtracking, only to call 10 minutes later and get another agent to approve my revised trip.

1) So where did my friend sin in the above itinerary?

2) could someone please explain the definition of areas 1, 2, and 3 for me as stated in the rule below:

TRAVEL MUST BE IN A CONTINUOUS FORWARD
DIRECTION BETWEEN AREA 1-AREA 2-AREA 3.

Thanks.

At a quick look assuming this is a OWE it looks OK EXCEPT that you are way over the 20 segment limit that camein on 15 April.

The first HKG and the last JFK have to be transits, as do all but two of the stops in SWP.

I believe the definitions are:
Area 1: North America, South America
Area 2: Europe, Middle East, Africa
Area 3: Asia, SWP

So Europe-Asia-Africa is indeed backtracking, but I don't see any in this sample itin.

Thanks for the above replies.

Let me make the itinerary a bit clearer -
(/=surface) ([]=transit)
per-syd-chc/akl-[hkg]-hel-lkl-hel-osl-arn/hel-jfk-dfw-anc-dfw-jfk-sjo-jfk-lim/lpb-scl-puq-scl-gig-[jfk]-hkg-dps-sin-bkk-per

So it looks like the itinerary goes area 3-2-1-1-3-3. Is it backtracking because the itinerary skips over Asia from SouthWest Pacific to Europe and then returns to Asia on the way back from South America. Or is it just another QANTAS hardball at the One World
desk who doesn't have a firm grasp of the rules.

Also, the new segment rule: is this the total of both intra and inter continental flights, or just the intracontinental segments?

I have a OWE ticket from QF (28 segments issued before April 14)
SWP - transit Asia - Europe - transit North America - South America - North America - Asia - South West Pacific
It was QF who told me could do Asia after NA

Yours is
SWP - transit Asia - Europe - North America - South America - transit North America - Asia - South West Pacific

Also
PER-BNE-CHC will get more miles than PER-SYD-CHC
DFW-BOS-SJO will get more miles than DFW-JFK-SJO
Depends of course on what places you really want to visit, and what are transits or nice to visit if it works out type cities and how important mileage / status credit accumulation (assuming in QF FF program)

The 4 segements / 2 stops in SWP do not have to be done at the start. I am doing my 4 SWP segments at the end, 6 months after getting back into Oz. (i.e having a 6 month stop, doing segements to get a stop in DRW and then back home.) Being done with open jaw in SWP ie different start and end city. Once you get back to your starting city, the RTW is complete.


[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited 04-30-2003).]

QF seems to be objecting to 2 arrivals in Asia but this is clearly permitted by the rules provided one arrival is a transit without stopover between the SWP and Europe (AKL-HKG-HEL). Your itinerary is withing the rules but several FTer's have commented that QF for some reason often doesn't want to permit this routing. Other OneWorld partners have no problem with it.

Backtracking
This is from CX, but should be checked

Travel must be in a continuous forward direction without backtracking.
Exceptions
(1) Backtracking is permitted within a continent except within North America a backtrack between Hawaii and continental USA/Canada is not permitted.
(2) Travel between North America and South America is not considered backtracking.
(3) Travel between Europe/Middle East and Africa is not considered backtracking.
(4) Travel between Asia and Australia is not considered backtracking.
(5) Travel between Asia and Africa is not considered backtracking.


[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited 04-30-2003).]

20 segments in total, but you can buy extra segments. The 20 segment limit makes 5 continent OWE not the value it was before the rules changed.



[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited 04-30-2003).]

Not past the 20. You can buy more up to the 20.

Basically, you can have 20 total. No more.

Thanks for all the above advice and info.

It appears to me the backtracking issue is untrue. If you think of a clock with 3 digits instead of 12, labeled area1, area2, area3, as long as you are going in a continuous clockwise or counterclockwise direction around this clock, it cannot be called backtracking. Hence, the itinerary above is 3,transit 3(specifically allowed in rules),2,1,1,transit 1(specifically allowed in rules),3,3 - a nice consistent counterclockwise sweep around the area clock.

So the real problem remains the 20 segment limit. I will advise my friend to drop South America, or keep 5 continents but whittle down the trip to 20 segments. Also, I will advise him to seek out a new Quantas One World agent.

Again, thanks to all above for all of your help.

Russ