I understand the Circle Pacific fare (in D) is available as a 22000 miles routing. I am trying to determine the most advantageous routing based on the fllowing constraints:

• Commence in Brisbane
• Fits under 22,000 miles to meet the fare rules
• Must have stopever in ORD
• Would like to stopover in DFW is possible
• Best services available
• Maximise QF status credits as much as possible

The best I can come up with is this routing:
BNE-LAX-SAN-LAX-DFW-ORD-YVR-HKG-BNE
By my numbers this is 21,885 miles.

I calculate this will earn 610 QF SC's (better than half way to WP requalification), noting that LAX-SAN-LAX will be in Y and hence only 20 SC's each way. SAN is really only there to get even closer to the 22K mile limit and score some extra SC's along the way.

This allows me to use CX for the northern Pacific crossing rather than AA via NRT.

Any better suggestions from experienced CirclePacific fare tweakers would be appreciated.

(edited to fix my silly SC calc error)

[This message has been edited by NM (edited Mar 25, 2004).]

BNE-LAX-LAS-SAT-ORD-YVR-HKG-BNE is 21970 miles (7 flights, with 1 under 1000 miles)
Not sure if the above has D class on all services

Your itinerary has 8 flights, with 3 under 1000 miles (poor SC's)

You should also seriously consider a RTW Oneworld Explorer. Unlimited mileage with 20 flights. Just keep going east until you hit Oz instead turning around in the US and heading west

Looks good. And you'll be able to use the 777 service for LAX-DFW-ORD.

You could almost squeeze in LAX-SBA-LAX-DFW-ACT-DFW, an extra 40 SC's but that puts you over by ~17 miles.

I don't think there is a LAS-SAT flight on AA, but you could do LAX-SAN-SAT-ORD as there is a direct SAN-SAT (as of May 1st)


[This message has been edited by hauteboy (edited Mar 24, 2004).]

You are correct. The pdf timetable I have on my PC is from January. LAS-SAT AA1854 was Jan 6 to Jan 30 only.

Keeping flights over the 1000 miles is good for SC's.
LAS-SAT 1069 miles
SAT-ORD 1042 miles
DFW-ORD 842 miles


[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited Mar 24, 2004).]

BNE-LAX-SBA-LAX-DFW-ACT-DFW-YVR-HKG-BNE is 21204 miles on http://gc.kls2.com/
BNE-LAX-SAN-LAX-SBA-LAX-DFW-ACT-DFW-YVR-HKG-BNE is 21422 miles
BNE-LAX-san-lax-SBA-LAX-san-lax-DFW-ACT-DFW-YVR-HKG-BNE is 21640 miles

How many flights are you allowed on circle pac's? What are the rules (I can't rules find on QF web site)

http://www.hardlink.com/~markdu/OWFiles/OneCirPac.html

Fare is dependent on miles and fits into 22K, 26K or 29K. I am hoping to fit under 22K.

Basically you need to cross the Pacific by north (ie Asia-USA) and South (AU/NZ-USA or AU/NZ-Chile) and keep travelling in the same clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Some other limits on stopovers in the same city etc.

I would love to make it a DONE4, but since I will be paying the difference between a B or K fare BNE-LAX-DFW-ORD-LAX-BNE, I want to keep to least expensive way to travel in J and score some SC's at the same time.

If I use SAT or ACT instead of DFW I will have a long drive to get to Fort Worth, but that is not impossible. I could always fly into DFW and then out of SAT, making this look attractive:

BNE-LAX-LAS-DFW
SAT-ORD-YVR-HKG-BNE

This would be 21,957 miles and 630 SC's.

Might as well avoid the DFW-SAT drive and go:

BNE-LAX-SAN-LAX-LAS-DFW-ORD-YVR-HKG-BNE

for 21,935 miles flown and 640 SC's. I can even arrange a meal with some friends in SAN area while I pass through. Thanks for the tip of adding LAS into the LAX-DFW routing. Of course the down side of that is the use of AA's MD80 rather than 777 for LAX-DFW. I wonder how desperate I am for the extra SC's?

(edited to fix silly SC calc error)

[This message has been edited by NM (edited Mar 25, 2004).]

BNE-ADL-MEL-NRT-ORD-DFW-LAS-LAX-BNE is 21,995 miles but only 690 SCs unless I cannot count. 'Course on the downside you are on AA not CX ....

I make that 690 SC's (when I use the correct values)

• BNE-ADL = 60 (1007m)
• ALD-MEL = 30 (399m)
• MEL-NRT = 160 (5060m)
• NRT-ORD = 160 (6274m)
• ORD-DFW = 30 (802m)
• DFW-LAS = 60 (1055m)
• LAS-LAX = 30 (236m)
• LAX-BNE = 160 (7161m)

Total SC = 690.

That's probably worth the AA international sector. Their J is not all that bad on the 777 - and they have the Bose headphones.

I would probably do it in reverse just because it will make more sense for me to visit DFW before ORD, but that won't affect the earnings.

Another options I just tought of is breaking DFW-ORD into DFW-STL-ORD, making it 808 miles in two segments. That will put the NRT routing over by 2 miles! But the YVR-HGK routing can then get up to 670 SC's and remain under 22,000 miles (21,941). So for a difference of only 20 SC's I would probably chose the CX routing rather than AA, but it does give some choice and flight times and connections might come into play.

(edited to fix silly SC calc error)

[This message has been edited by NM (edited Mar 25, 2004).]

I flew LAS-NRT last year on AA128 5513 miles. (AA129 is NRT-LAS) Went via SJC, where I had to change aircraft, but the flight number stated the same. NRT-DFW & NRT-AUS are other possibilities.

Getting more flights over 1000 miles is worth the effort


[This message has been edited by Mwenenzi (edited Mar 24, 2004).]

Or course one problem with using Great Circle mapper to calculate distance is that QF have their own table of distances they use. Using their FF point calculator, they list some of these distances differently:

• BNE-ADL = 1008 (GC=1007)
• ADL-MEL = 400 (GC=399)
• MEL-NRT = 5080 (GC=5060)
• LAX-BNE = 7166 (GC=7161)

So unfortunately, QF would likely total the BNE-LAX-LAS-DFW-ORD-NRT-MEL-ADL-BNE as just over 22,000 miles . Might be worth a try anyway .

The BNE-LAX-SAN-LAX-LAS-DFW-STL-ORD-YVR-HKG-BNE rounting has a little more to play with (well its 59 miles under 22K according to GC). If I use QF's distances for the routing for which they provide, it still comes out at 21,943 miles . I assume they get the distances for AA/CX flights from whatever that carrier has identified for the flight.

OOPs, I've been using the incorrect assumption (you know what they say about an assumption manking an ... out of u and me, well in this case its just me that is the ...) about SC's. Its only 30 for <1000 miles and 60 for 1000-2700, not the 40/80 I have been using.

Better go back and edit the posts to be accurate. Sorry folks.

NM

I have business at DFW next month and was considering doing similar. What is the cost of the 22k in D?

Meloz

Aussie $6759 or US $4900 + tax of course (others too, of course). Starfile with fares and rules etc is
here

If the miles fit, a nice way to start the trip is via AKL. That way you can stay in the Grand Chancellor Hotel (free shuttle and 1000 QF FF points for about $100), transit through AKL (<24 hrs) and avoid the tax, have a go at a three class 744 sold as 2 class (ie turn left upon entering), then go about your business in the land of the security check and rubber glove.

I'd opt for a WHY award fare in the US and save the pleasure of D class for the long hauls. Eg: WHY DFW-ORD-DFW. You could get that as an AA award for 20,000 QF FF points (you'll earn more than this on the trip anyway). That's good value for money compared to SYD-MEL-SYD for the same price!

BNE-AKL-LAX-DFW-YVR-HKG-BNE = 21618 miles. Travel via CNS is only a few miles more.

Planning the trip is almost as good as doing it.