Goal is to get max miles and make EXP on AA. Expect to be taking the trip in Jan. 2005.

ord-lax-sju-dfw-yvr-jfk-eze-lax-jfk-syd-nrt-hkg-cdg (land) zrh-jnb-lhr-sez-lhr-dxb-lhr-lax-ord

Thanks!

Problems:

- two transcons: LAX-SJU and YVR-JFK
- does EZE-LAX exist? I can't find it
- the EZE-LAX-JFK-SYD would need to be transits at LAX & JFK and you would probably be done for 7 segments in NA not 6
- ZRH-jnb isn't yet available on OW metal so you can't book this until LX is available on OWE
- you can't do zrh-jnb-lhr-sez. That is entering Africa twice and isn't one of the allowed exceptions (ACC and NBO)

Er, well that's enough problems to start with

Hmmm ... OK

1. If I change YVR-JFK-EZE to YVR-DFW-EZE that should eliminate the 2 transcon segments.

2. I thought I read that Lan Chile had a single flight number for EZE-LAX.

3. Not clear what you mean?

4. I'm hoping LX will be available by Jan. 2005. Can I substitute NBO for SEZ?

Updated with above changes gives me:

ord-lax-sju-dfw-yvr-dfw-eze-lax-jfk-syd-nrt-hkg-cdg (land) zrh-jnb-lhr-nbo-lhr-dxb-lhr-lax-ord

Thanks!

[This message has been edited by crAAzy (edited Feb 15, 2004).]

It's flight LA 600.

However, since Lan Chile doesn't offer first class between EZE-SCL, EZE-LAX can only be booked in business.

You still have 2 trasncons (lax-sju and lax-jfk) so you can't do lax-jfk-syd, but will have to just do lax-syd (or go eze-jfk-syd and not eze-lax ... btw you are right there is an LA flight EZE-SCL-LAX that is a single flight number, but it is sold as F only SCL-LAX and not EZE-LAX).
ZRH-JNB-LHR-NBO is prohibited (you can't enter Africa twice, see the earlier explanation by christep). So you have to fly JNB-NBO (operated by Comair/BA in South Africa).
The biggest problem is that I think you cannot transit Europe twice, so you will have to go HKG-JNB-NBO-LHR-(europe segments)-LAX. I'm 95% sure that this is the rule (basically a 2nd entry into a continent is allowed only when no realistic alternative routing exists, and sometimes the sequence of continents is forced by the rules).

My apologies - the exceptions for second entry to Africa via London are Ghana and Nigeria (not Kenya). So Nairobi isn't possible. You could replace NBO with Lagos (LOS) but you still have a problem in that your itinerary enters Europe three times - the max allowed even with the ACC/LOS exception is twice.

Here's a variation which I think would work:

ord-lax-sju-jfk-phx-jfk-eze-jfk-syd-nrt-hkg-cmb-hkg-jnb-lhr-los-lhr-dxb-lhr-lax-ord
(75717 miles)

But you could achieve your objective of EXP at lower cost by reducing the number of continent; here's an AONE4 that would achieve it:

ord-lax-sju-jfk-phx-jfk-hkg-khi-hkg-khi-hkg-jnb-nbo-jnb-lhr-acc-lhr-dxb-lhr-lax-ord
(67147 miles)

Christep, you can't do that because youre entering Africa twice. The rule is to enter Europe twice. If you want to go somethere besides Ghana or Nigeria and you want to utilize the rule then you need to do an open jaw between one and where you want to go. So if you wanted to visit JNB and transit London twice then you need to get an open jaw between either Accra, Lagos, or Abuja and Johannesburg.

Oops - yes, sorry - never used it in practice. OK - so let's try this AONE4 for 67311 miles:

ord-lax-sju-jfk-phx-jfk-hkg-khi-hkg-khi-hkg-lhr-dxb-lhr-lax-scl-ipc-scl-dfw-lax-ord

You have 7 segments in NA. Since you cannot purchase additional segments in the country of origin, scl-lax-ord should fix the problem. It will reduce the mileage by 535 miles but should still be enough to qualify for EXP.

also, for the scl-ipc return LA will book you into coach, even though you are on a A or D fare. And, so you really want to go to khi with all its current problems? i would pick cmb before khi. if you are really cheap, you can do this in biz class since biz now earns 1.5 points.