Greetings to all, this is my first post.

I'm planning a DONE4 from MAD. Before I found this great place I thought a simple MAD-SCL direct would be just fine, but after reading the amazing things you guys do/get I got greedy for miles, points and the rest of the goodies.

The way I read the fare rules this should be ok:

MAD-LAX (transit only)-SCL- 4 segs - SCL - ORD - 6 segs - HKG - ... etc.

1. Correct?
2. If so, would this be a good way (ie miles/points) to do MAD-SCL?

Thanks to all. I'm glad I found this forum.

Good enough, except there are no nonstop/direct MAD-LAX or SCL-ORD flights on oneworld carriers. MAD-MEX-SCL-4 segments-SCL-LAX-6 segments may be your best bet for miles.

Thanks. You are right, of course, I should have checked better. If I used one of the 4 segments in the continent of origin, would that do? For example:

MAD-LHRx-LAXx-SCL- 4 segments - LAX - 6 segments - HKG - etc.

That should work.

Watch the total number of segments. If you are running out of segments: get a coupon fare (airpass) in North America. Most airline offer a certain number of coupons for a fairly good price.
Check http://www.travel-overland.de/airpass.html (in german unfortunately, click on the airline you are interested in. The table shows the number of coupons, prices at different date ranges and for adults (Erwachsene) and children (Kinder). Flights to some destinations cost more.

Also if you want to maximize miles and adding South America and Australia you can do SCL-xLAX-xHKG-SYD (for example) for a few additional miles.

Also check different starting points in Europe (there is some discussion on the board). MAD is not exactly the best point to start.

Unterwegs, thanks for confirming the itinerary is doable.

Yes, adding Australia would be great, and will seriously consider it.

I suppose MAD is not so good as a starting point, but where then? I've searched the forum and couldn't find european alternatives that made sense to me; price is pretty much the same all around in europe, except the uk, where's much higher; and MAD is where I live so I'd still have to get to/from the alternative starting point; cheap enough to find a tkt, I know, but what would the benefit be? not arguing, just curious.

Well, the difference between starting in CAI or MAD is about �1000 right now. You should be able to get to CAI for �400 or so.

That's quite a difference. It's clear I need to do some serious research. Thanks for the tip.

Hi Viajero,

I have started DONE4 trips from both MAD and CAI. There is plenty of very useful information available right here on the oneworld forum, although it may take many hours to sift through it all!

Just curious, though, are you planning to credit the miles earned on your trip to Iberia Plus or another OW programme?

I'm totally new to this, so going on what I've read here so far I thought I'd credit them to AA. I looked at IB and didn't like their programme at all. Should I reconsider?

You are right, there's a lot of info in the forum, but being a complete "novato" on these matters it takes me forever to find things, although I really put hours and hours into it; will keep trying though, that's for sure. To find price tables is easy enough, but when you get down to taxes (not a small matter these days) and other incidentals the information is less easy to find. To establish a true MAD vs CAI comparison I need to take into account taxes, mad-cai-mad fare, hotels, airport transfers, meals, bank fees for wiring funds, no c/c bonuses, etc., which shrinks the price difference down to the point where you ask yourself if it is really worth the hassle. Besides, I have a TA right here in Madrid who takes ten [local] calls from me a day without a single complaint, and that also counts.

You have done both MAD and CAI. If you were to do a xONEx one right now, where would you start it from? (based purely on total, all in, after tax prices)

You could also go MAD-LHRx-LAXx-EZE- 4 segments - LAX - 6 segments - HKG - etc.. EZE is Buenos Aries, Argentina. I did that last year with a 23 hour 55 minute transit at LAX on Lan Chile (flight LA600).

Also AA goes from several cities in Europe, so you are not limited to LHR. Similarly AA goes to several US cites from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

From USA to HKG JFK-HKG will get most miles

If you want to credit the AA program worth checking the miles

Good point, thanks; didn't know LA600 continued on to EZE (so much to learn...). Except in this case, I'll have to give it a miss; either that or all my relatives in SCL stop talking to me.

Viajero,

I took a MONE5 last year (with my wife), starting from CAI. As you mention, ONE prices are highest from the UK, so we saved ourselves something like �700 each on the ticket, which paid for a Galapagos cruise We used leftover miles to get to CAI, got a very cheap hotel for a night ($50 for the Intercontinental), spent a nice weekend visiting the pyramids and the Sphinx, and were back in work on Monday morning. We booked the ticket through the (very helpful) Ms Nabila at BA in CAI, paying with a BA Amex card (and getting a load of bonus miles) at a very reasonable exhange rate. All in all, while it seems scary to begin with, it was both very financially advantageous, and also a lot of fun. (I wrote up a very brief report of the experience, which you can read here).

I think that your offer of help in the other thread is a great thing to do, and in a similar vein, please feel free to mail me directly if you have any questions about the whole 'buying-tickets-in-CAI-for-the-first-time' thing.

Enjoy your trip.
Stew

The price difference depends on the class. I usually buy F, so CAI is really worth doing it. The nice part is: you already have a coupon to go back to CAI. So you need only a one way for the first time. I have been in CAI 3 times in the last 10 month.....
Also check - there are very inexpensive charter flights from Germany (and i would assume to other countries also) to places in Egypt. And a one way ticket from Luxor or any other interesting place to CAI is cheap. So why not start with a few days in Egypt? Hotels are fairly inexpensive, taxis are cheap. And buying a ticket there is really easy. Some travelagents (mine here in Germany for example) is even able to book some ticket types starting in CAI. So aks yours.

Also read about the Platinum Challange (assuming you have no or a lower status) on the AA board. As soon as you are plat you get 100 % bonus even in Eco.

Taxes depend on the airports you touch. So (at least in theory) the only difference in a (otherwise identical) itinary from CAI and MAD is the difference in the taxes between these two airports (which is not much). Also consider F instead of C when you starting from CAI. The price difference is not too big. It will likely spoil you and you will never get back to C.....

AA's programme is a good choice. I would not reconsider as Iberia Plus really doesn't add as much value for miles compared to AA, especially if the majority of your flight activity is not going to be on IB.

Decisions, decisions! If you have not yet been to Egypt, then I would certainly start the DONE4 from CAI, and spend a few days sightseeing. There are many threads here on FT that describe some of the main highlights. Another option to consider (but not as interesting) is what some FT'ers have done: arrive at night, never leave the airport, and "turnaround" in the morning to start their RTW journey. However, the CAI airport is not exactly the kind of place that I would want to spend my sleeping hours!

I don't recall if your DONE4 is for business or pleasure but you may find that it is simply a lot less of a hassle to just start in MAD and go westbound across the Atlantic. This allows you to keep the option of maximising your miles at the very end of your trip. There are some longish segments in the "Europe-Middle East" continent such as LHR-DXB-LHR-HEL-MAD. That was my exact routing when I started a DONE4 from MAD 3 years ago.

That's it. I've been to Egypt lots of times so sightseeing in Cairo, in my case, is not a plus. However, if I could persuade my better half to join me that would probably change things; but so far she just looks at me planning this mad xONEx dash across continents and says , albeit in nice sweet spanish "you go, honey", so I'm not complaining.