OW RTW First Losing Allure & Covenience
 

I am a big fan of the RTW first 5 continent ticket on OW but I must say it is losing some of usefulness. For example:

LAX-AKL - Qantas has no first class, you must go to SYD and back again.

HKG-JNB- No more first on Cathay 13hrs 15min

Perth or ADL-HKG - Never offered first

Transatlantic AA - Only LHR and FRA-DFW have 777's with a first class. (I need to fly AA)

What would you do? Buy 1st and fly LAX -AKL in biz or go via SYD. I have no choice but biz to JNB? Even SYD-JNB did not have first.

I'm booked in F JNB/SYD on July 10th. Let's hope it exists. When I flew SYD/JNB in 2003 the F seats were sold as J.

If your reason for AA transatlantic is to get AAdvantage credit then the other alternative is to go via Canada and use BA from there.

According to the CX forum, HKG-JNB will have first class during the S African summer season, at least the next summer. ADL-HKG on CX still has first class, but it stops at MEL before continuing on to HKG. I flew ADL-HKG in first Dec 2002 and it is still in the CX schedule.

QF really cannot make up their mind as to when and if they will put F on the JNB-SYD route.

First they did. Then they didn't. So all seats had to be reassigned for a friend and his partner.. and then lo and behold, one day, QF decided that they will fly with F that day. Just as well that my friends have F class tickets.

Another couple of problems:

1) LA tends to be stingy with availability of F class seats for RTW's.

2) AA similarly can be difficult on int'l sectors, even when flights are showing plenty of availability for F fare bucket seats. Previously, I was able to get the EXP desk to pry a seat open... but I'm no longer EXP.

Mainly because its F cabin usually comprises just 5 seats - total.

On North America/Chile flights, I have had much better luck getting an "A" seat using the AA codeshare number on the LAN flights. I think LAN codeshares with IB on the Spain route, maybe the same would work for that flight. As for the Australia/NZ flight, I got an "A" seat on SYD-AKL in 2002 (dated, I know), under the QF number.

For LAN, always try the codeshare number!

Agree
 

This Saturday I will start my 5th RTW AONE3/4 this year. I was not even able to get NRT-DFW, although there were plenty of F seats available. Had to do NRT-SJC on the return. LHR-HKG no problem.

Only 4 segments per continent also sucks, especially when it's necessary to go to a connecting hub like LHR or HKG. :td:

Thank goodness open jaws are allowed. If you use your four (or six or eight) segments well - that is, for long and/or expensive segments - and tack on extra tickets here and there, you can put a different face on the trip.

Yes, they really seem to be losing their allure as far as you're concerned. :)

You can purchase 2 extra segments per continent very cheaply (but it doesn't increase the 20 segment limit for the entire trip, and no extra segments allowed in the continent of origin).

Yup, "very cheaply" in the context of an unrestricted ticket, but sometimes "just about the same" in comparison with alternatives. For instance, CMB-DPS (not that that's necessarily a popular route!) in SQ/C was/is? about the same as two extra OWE D-class segments CMB-HKG-DPS, and a lot quicker. Especially since the 20-segment limit arrived, I find plenty of opportunities like that.

Yes, I know... but don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to accommodate me on flights where only 1 other seat has been booked (20% load factor).

There is no LHR-DFW flight, only LGW. If you're looking for a 777, consider connecting through another city like (like RDU, BOS, JFK, ORD). Overall, I don't think there is a shortage of AA 777's going between Europe and the US.