Why does it take AA days to get prices for these tickets? I made a change with CX, via email, last year (shifted a stop in ATL to RDU) and they came back with the fare adjustment (US125 + tax changes) in about 30 mins.

I'm currently playing around with the explorer tool on the oneworld website and it is allowing me to select Qantas codeshare flights from Dubai to Sydney. Pretty sure that's not allowed correct?

You mean 8412, 8414 and 8418? Correct. QF 2, however, is a QF metal flight and is AOK.

I noticed that as well. Trying to select QF2 for a day the timetable later told me wasn't operating. Went back the next day after a oneworld tabletable update and it's now showing QF coded EK flights. Not sure how many.

When I tried to price it, it gave an unable to price error, but that could have been for any number of reasons with the way that tool has been working.

Does anyone have a copy of fare rules explaining all the surcharges? Eg fuel fines on BA, LHR tax, carrier surcharges etc??

I keep having huge carrier surcharges in my quotes and I can't figure out where they're coming from. Arrgh!

edit: never mind, finally answered my own question.

http://www.oneworld.com/documents/10...9-d346ec820edf

The fare rules do not explain the taxes and surcharges - pretty well impossible to do since the surcharges will depend on (i) the ticketing carrier and (ii) the carrier/segments you choose to fly, and the taxes will depend on the places you choose to visit.

If your 'quotes' are obtained by using the on-line booking tool, then you can see a list of all the taxes and "carrier imposed surcharges/fees" (aka fuel fines - but the tool only gives the total, not a breakdown by carrier/segment).
If not obtained that way, then you could use itasoftware.com to find out the taxes and surcharges segment by segment.
FYI - on a couple of DONE4/5s I'm pricing up the carrier imposed surcharges/fees come to about AUD750 and taxes to about AUD600

Of course, it's quite annoying trying to get tax/surcharge listings when the booking tool keeps failing to price anything.

Oh yes, I agree - very annoying
But lately I've found the tool quite well behaved - at least for the various ex-South Africa itineraries I'm playing with

I'm trying to price a DONE3, HND-HKG-JFK-BOS-MIA-LAX-IAH-ORD-DOH-CDG-LHR-DXB-LHR-PEK-HKG-SIN-HND, and it keeps giving an error. No matter what airline it tries to sent to ticket and with or without codeshares.

According to Mileage Monkey this is a perfectly acceptable itinerary. See http://www.slfft.org/mm/award.htm

Priced up fine for me
CX as the first carrier. Two transits of HKG and stopovers in PEK and SIN
Total cost JPY890,680 (base=657,500 +++=233,180 of which 136,260 is fuel fines)
YGM:)

hmmm... might be having JL as the first operating carrier causing the problem. I tried JL29 with both the JL and CX code.
What's bugging me most is it won't even offer the AA codes on the QR operated flights (which exist and expert flyer says are available) and keeps changing its mind about the QF codes on SIN-HND and AA codes HKG-JFK.

Nope.
JL29 as the first flight priced up OK for me (and priced up cheaper than with the CX flight - total of JPY871,640)

Codeshares are a whole different problem
I agree the tool does not work well in this regard

• for your first segment the tool is not displaying any codeshare flights for me
• you have already reported that it is displaying QF codeshares on EK metal for LHR-DXB and return
• on my itineraries sometimes it displays AA codeshares on other (QF, QR, LA) metal, sometimes not; sometimes it only displays the AA codeshare and not the operating carrier's flight number:rolleyes:

For that first flight, it offered me JL29 and CX6321.
I've never seen the booking tool offer a AA coded QR flight, they don't even show up on the oneworld desktop timetable, but were on the online map timetable last time I looked. Been trying to get (with current routing) AA7974 and AA7993.
For QF4017/QF4025 (JL38/JL36), it offers the QF code seemingly at random.

What bugs me most about the tool is what flights it offers. I can understand it not showing a flight if there is no A/D/L availability. It's very annoying when there is and it doesn't show.

I wonder if it will book the EK coded QF flights. The (old) tool allowed me to book a QF coded AS flight a few years ago. When I got stuck in DXB during my last DONE3 (BA delay, refusal to check through and transfer desks screwing me around triggered a missed connection to QF. EK tried to contact BA, then CX (ticket issuer) then QF), QF refused to rebook me to a QF codeshare back to LHR and gave me a hotel and rebook on QF1 24 hours later.

purchasing an ex-JNB DONE4 from the US?
 

I've been away from OW RTWs for awhile. I've forgotten everything I knew, and probably much has changed, anyway.

I'm looking to buy either a DONE4 or DGLOB34 ex-South Africa. Itinerary is fairly simple -- JNB-HKG-NRT-BOS-DFW-DEN-DFW-BOS-LHR-JNB. (I understand that I'm leaving a lot on the table.)

It looks like I have to reserve/purchase by phone (can't use the online tool -- for one thing, the JL NRT-BOS non-stop doesn't show up on the blessed thing). I will arrive in JNB on the afternoon before I leave on the RTW. What's the best way to handle the reservation & purchase -- call CX (first flight)? call the AA RTW desk?

Call the AA rtw desk to set up the routing and to price it and tell them you will be purchasing from the Mindpearl the AA GSA in Cape Town. Then call mindpearl and pay for the ticket.
See:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...-anyone-2.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...-airlines.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...ed-ex-jnb.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...ine-vs-aa.html

Jerry, would the same advice apply if the journey was reversed making the first leg on BA (JNB-LHR), or even CPT-JNB-LHR on BA?

Sure. The OW booking tool will revert to the airline operating the first segment (with some exceptions) that doesn't mean that you have to do that if you aren't using the tool. You cannot can book with any Oneworld airline that you want (and that will agree to book and issue the ticket for you). Doesn't matter who the first leg is on. There are any number of us that have booked through AA and then flown to LHR on our first intercontinental flight. Of course that said, at times AA has balked unless at least one of your long-haul overwater segments is on AA metal.

I once asked CX to quote a trip. They refused and tried to send me back to QF because "they are the first carrier". They priced it when I started quoting fare rules back at them and stated the booking tool sends to first carrier due to a technical limitation, not a rule.

I have ticketed XONEX (1st segments are BA) via CX ticketing office several times. The last one was March 2014.
BA ticketing office has refused credit card transactions above some amount (aprox 600,000JPY) over the phone.

The ticket I asked about was a DAS13 from the CX AU office. They provided it when I pushed back.
The online tool gave me a CX issued DONE3 last year which I had to make a change to. CX JP office did the change without a problem via email. Had to make another change during the trip last year after the MH KL Central office refused (it was MH flights I was trying to change). emailed the CX KL office, all sorted within an hour.

I've asked the CX JP office to price an ex-JP DONE3. Waiting to hear back. I figure I can get it set up and pay when I'm in Tokyo in 3 weeks.

JPY 656,300 according to EF.

Yes, I know. + taxes.

... CX Tokyo just refused to quote claiming that MIA-LAX and LAX-IAH was 2 transcons. Houston isn't on the transcon list.

Have quoted relevant section of rules back to them.
....
They apologized. Agent through IAH was IAD.

I've just looked up pricing on expert flyer (base fare in GBP) for JNB, CAI & NRT and figured some might find it useful so am posting it here.

A month or so back I looked through a few (obviously didn't look at LONEx though :p): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...l#post23318405

Basically as you say CAI, JNB and TYO were the best, distantly followed by TIP.

First flight on RTW
 

Dear Tripadvisors!

Been planning a RTW trip (2 people) in about a year from now.
My first RTW, and I'm not too experienced flying to begin with. (And english is not my first language, so sorry about spelling etc).

I've been reading the forums, trying to find answers to my (many) questions.
I have a couple I can't seem to find the answers to, hope you guys could point me in the right direction...

1. Denmark is my native country. Doha is my first stop on the RTW ticket. Starting in Cairo, not CPH, seems to save me around $5000, not including one way tickets from CPH to CAI. -So that's a no-brainer, right?

Here's my question: Am I allowed to fly straight from CPH to DOH on a seperately bought ticket and thereby voluntarily "miss" the flight from CAI to DOH on the rtw-ticket? -Or *must* I be on the plane from CAI, since it's the first flight on the RTW?

The reason I ask is that it is both easier (fewer fligthts and less traveltime), and cheaper for me, than arranging a flight from CPH to CAI (over IST), only to transit immediately and continue to DOH over AMM.

-Or is there an even smarter way of doing it?

2. As far as I can tell, if I start in CAI (and my first stop is DOH), Royal Jordanian seems to be my "ticket issuer" as far as I can tell. Is that a decent choice? -Or would I be better off with BA/someone else regarding customer service etc?


Hope you guys can help me. And sorry in advance if this is really basic stuff. I'm still learning.

Absolutely not. As with any airline ticket, you must use your ticket in the correct order, or your ticket will be cancelled.

No showing will result in a 125 USD penalty, then there is a change fee of 125 USD, and since you want to change the ticketed points of your ticket, the entire ticket would be recalculated to your new start point, Doha. You will be asked to pay the fare difference between starting at CAI and starting at DOH. Even if you are willing to do this, it could take a day or two before the ticket was recalculated by the back office. It just isn't worth it.

It is dimly possible that due to an IT bug between the airlines, your ticket would survive your no show (or at least survive for a while, before being cancelled when you got somewhere else). I wouldn't recommend risking it, unless you can afford to buy a new ticket anyway.

The reasons you give are exactly the reasons why there are different prices for round the world tickets originating from different places. You are buying a RTW product originating in CAI. If you want to buy a RTW product originating elsewhere, you will have to pay the local price for it.

Enjoy CAI. JNB is also cheap.

Any OW airline can issue your ticket. AA or CX seem to be the preferred choice.

I have used AA in Cairo, but not for some time. I recommend the following steps:

a) work out your itinerary, consulting members of this board as necessary; b) book with AA in the USA by phone 1-800-247-3247, using Skype or equivalent, and tell them that you will issue the ticket in Cairo so that they will price it correctly; c) get in contact with Emeco Travel at [email protected] or phone 20(2) 333-71277. I dealt with Inas Mouni, but, as I said, that was a few years ago. At that time they accepted international credit and charge cards for payment without any difficulty.

Any ticket issued by BA will have very high cash fuel surcharges (added by BA). This is why AA is the preferred issuer for *ONE* for most people.

As above, post your route and ask here about your itinerary. Mileage Monkey is a good guide, but not 100% up to date just now.

Is that right? The fuel surcharges will, except for some IT bugs, be levied based on the operating carrier, not who tickets the itinerary, surely?

Not necessarily
In general, there is no requirement for a ticketing airline to collect fuel surcharges on behalf of an operating carrier
Some do, some don't

You can, of course, expect a ticketing carrier to collect the surcharges for its own segments.
AA is considered one of the 'better' carriers - in that it seems to not collect surcharges for carriers other than itself, and possibly BA and IB with whom it has a 'special relationship'

Dear Flyertalkers! (SO embarrased!)


Thank you so much for your swift and competent help. It means the world!

I'll be following your advice figuring out the best way/place to begin my RTW-trip.

Quick follow-up question: If I choose CAI as the place to start, and travel from CPH to CAI using a non-OW airline, will I be required to pick up my checked in luggage, clear customs and once again check in?
-And, in that case, do I need a visa for Egypt, since I technically will be leaving the airport?


I'll post my itinerary, once I make the first draft. Yet again, thank you for your help so far ^^



Ps. Been scouting Tripadvisor looking for places to stay, hence the confusion regarding my initial greeting! Won't happen again, (I hope) :rolleyes:

Here's a page from the Timaticweb (data base the airlines will refer to) that seems to say you'll obtain a visa on arrival (US$25) if you claim bags and go through customs. If you've obtained your RTW ticket number (not the PNR locator) in advance, the original airline might be able to through-ticket your bags to your first RTW stopover, but that would be at the discretion of the originating airline, assuming, of course, that they have interline arrangements with the first RTW carrier. I would bet against it, however, and just figure you'll go "landside" at CAI.

If you fly a Star Alliance carrier you will arrive at Terminal 3 and will need to clear immigration and customs and head over to Terminal 1. The other carriers arrive at Terminal 1. If you arrive at Terminal 1 and you check luggage you have to pay the $25 visa fee (must be USD) to clear immigration first, claim luggage, and then customs. You will have to ask your CPH-CAI carrier if they will through-check on a different PNR.

If you arrive at Terminal 1 and don't check luggage you can do a transit without visa and stay airside.

Stretching flexibilty
 

I am considering finally splurging on DONEX ex-JNB to bridge an existing gap between two tickets and cover my travel next year. My first segments is JNB-MAD, but after that I really don't have a set itinerary. I was wondering could I do dummy segments to fill out my itinerary, then later on do more than just date changes but also re-route per my plans and only incur the up to $125 change fee with no repricing etc?

Example (after JNB-MAD, assuming OW flights actu)
Go from MAD-DXB/DOH-LHR-LAX to MAD-HEL-LHR-SFO
Go from LAX-DFW-JFK-YVR-ORD-DCA-JFK-HKG to DFW-YVR-JFK-SJU-DFW-HKG

and so on.

I am thinking of initially putting in some basic segments to route Africa-Europe/ME-North America-Asia-Africa. Then later making changes as I plan to visit each continent, meaning 3 major routing changes. Is this a viable plan or am I expecting too much flexibility and should rather choose my destination points now and stick to the date/time changes only?

Thanks in advance.

No idea of statistics, but I suspect the majority of xONEx tickets are changed at least once during their lifespan, maybe more. I certainly know I do.

A note on "repricing." If you keep the same number of continents, all that happens when you make changes is the taxes and fees are re-computed, e.g. if a transit turns into a stopover (airport/departure taxes) or if you add flights with fuel surcharges that replace those that don't have them. FWIW I've never had a re-issue where there wasn't an additional taxes and fees hit, on top of the $125. Some airlines (BA, Qantas) also charge service fees for changes, usually in the US$50 - $150 range.

Iberia no longer flies JNB-MAD. Your options for South Africa > Europe are BA via LHR or QR via Doha.

Just a thought, but looking at your initial plans (yes, I know they're likely to change) I wonder if you need to go to South Africa for the start. Granted, I love South Africa, and if it's on your bucket list, by all means go for it, but if you don't especially need to go there, the current strength of the dollar makes both Egypt and Japan fairly attractive for start points. Instead of a 4-continent ticket ex-South Africa (and one that would in all likelihood include a ton of BA fuel surcharges added to the price) you might want to look at Japan, where a DONE3 is just over $6000, vs. $5900 for a DONE3 from CAI or a DONE4 for $5300 from JNB or CPT. That $700 difference could very easily get eaten in fuel surcharges, not to mention the additional cost - in miles or money - to get to and from SA before and after.

Using AA to issue the ticket (either through their GSAs in CAI or CPT, or directly in Japan) would tend to lower the total cost since AA doesn't always pass through other airlines' fuel fines. The "extras" can easily amount to 15% - 20% or more of the base price.

Use the online booking tool to experiment with total costs (including fees and taxes) from various start points (JNB/CPT, CAI, NRT, AMM) to get a sense of the additional expenses that would apply to given itineraries, then compute your "positioning" costs. You might be surprised at the results.

Thanks for this answer, I am feeling a lot better that my strategy might work and turn out well for me. Certainly would rather avoid airlines with a lot service fees, especially for changes and those with crazy fuel fines.

I am starting in JNB for two reasons, I do tend to spend a lot of time there and in this instance I will actually be there in need of a one-way ticket to Europe. I took advantage of the low cost BA I sale from the US to Spain/Italy and combined it with a general sale/favorable pricing of for ex-Spain/Italy fares to South Africa, but due to minimum stay and day of travel restrictions I couldn't pair them perfectly. My SA to Europe return will be weeks later than my Spain - US return, so I therefore have to bridge that gap.

My first option is buying a cheap one-way QR Y ticket or a business class return at about $2700-3300, which is not too bad considering the European and SAA fares for both Y and C. Second option is going the DONE4 route (a DONE5 isn't quite attractive to me due to the seasonal mismatch for either South America or Oceania). My plan to limit fuel fines would be to take the QR route from JNB to MAD, and then only flying AA,JL and CX, no rewarding BA. QR has the 787 on the JNB route, which was quite good when I flew it in August, and timing is better too in terms of making my connection in Madrid.

I guess the price increases last year really hit South Africa hard if Japan pricing is now that attractive on a relative basis. $6000 is how much a close-in roundtrip C ticket will cost from the US.

Your logic is certainly sound. Go for it. I'd probably use Mindpearl in CPT (AA's GSA) for booking as it sounds like you'll have a fair number of AA-metal flights.

It's more a case of the USD-JPY exchange shifting in the dollar's favor. Personally I'd use miles for access, but doesn't apply in your case. South Africa's still the best deal if you can get there and also avoid BA fuel fines.