Is Emeco no longer a choice?

Thanks. I just called the RTW desk to book CAI-LHR-FCO-ORD-JFK-SYD-LHR-AUH. They priced the base fare correctly at 40,900EGP. Not sure what was up with the website.

Emeco is still a choice (imo, "the choice") for issuing the ticket). The poster stated they only wanted to compare the base price ex-cai with the tool.

I take it there's no AA office in Egypt and that Emeco is the only game in town?

Emeco is the "AA" office in Cairo. They are the official GSA for AA in Egypt. Info can be found on aa.com and on other threads in this forum.

Is DONE3 now possible from Australia?
 

I have just used mileage monkey to validate an itinerary and noticed that only three continents were used (Europe, North America, SouthWest Pacific) now that travel is possible via Dubai which is designated as part of Europe.

Previously a DONE4 was the minimum needed as Asia had to be included.

I have looked through the forum and the various rules, but have not seen this issue addressed.

Can anyone advise if a xONE3 can be booked from Australia?

No.
From the rules:
http://www.oneworld.com/content/libr...r%201mar13.pdf

See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...e3-ex-syd.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...ct-flight.html

With current rules, no. However, upcoming rule changes have been suggested. Such rule changes may allow ex AU xONE3 if using QF MEL/SYD-DXB.

Changing a DONE
 

Sorry for the basic question, but my corporate travel agent is giving me info that seems to be in their self interest, and I need to get an answer before I start traveling in 3 or 4 days.

I have already ticketed a DONE through my travel agent on Cathay Pacific ticket stock (my first segment is on CX). I would like to add a few more segments in North America but my travel agent states that they have to cancel the old reservation and create a new one for any such changes. Is this correct? Of course, my travel agent collects more fees everytime I do this. Because of this hassle, my internal travel booker wants to issue the segments as a separate ticket which is a waste of a DONE in my opinion.

Anyway, if I have already started travel and need to make changes to the segments, could I bypass my corporate travel agent and call one of the airlines directly to add additional segments to my DONE? To be specific, I would like to add two domestic AA segments as my second to last segments (just to reconfirm, may I stop over in the same city more than once?). These segments would cost a lot more than the standard USD125 change fee charged by Oneworld so I am keen to not have to buy separate tickets.

Last question (again sorry it is so basic), if I have a DONE and there is no D (or A) inventory, may I book any available economy class seat or must L inventory be available?

Thanks for your help!

Having just made major changes to my DONE4, I think I can help here;)

But straight off - I cannot comment on making changes before departure - never done that
Once you've started, then you can deal with an airline directly, no need to go through your TA (usually either the issuing airline or the next carrier)

You certainly may stopover in the same city more than once (We fly PER-DRW tomorrow and return to PER next week; that will be our third stopover in PER on the ticket)

has to be 'L' inventory

Changes before starting are very different. After the first international segment things "calm down".

Be aware that the OW Explorer rules do have a fee (used to be US$125) for routing changes. Date and flight number changes using the existing routing should be "free". Changes of transits to stopovers are normally routing changes.

Change are normally made by the airline which has issued the ticket. Also note that some airlines will have an additional service fee as well.

Happy wandering

Fred

Thanks all for the replies

So if Cathay is the issuing carrier, I call Cathay to add segments (once I've started travel)?

Sorry, for another basic question, how complicated is it to call the issuing carrier? Does it take a long time on the phone to sort out? and do the changes get effected immediately? Can I call AA instead of Cathay (if yes, will the general number work or is there a special number?)

Might not be worth the additional headache of being on hold with Cathay for two hours in the middle of the night...

Thanks again

AA is my issuing carrier

I had prepared all the changes I wanted - dates and flight numbers, and had checked (using KVS) that there was D availaability on each

Phoned the AA RTW desk early evening my time (early morning their time) - took about 10 minutes to do all the changes with the (very good) agent
Because there were major changes, he took my phone number and promised to phone me back with the re-computed charges (plus of course the USD125 change fee). He did phone back about 2 hours later, and took my credit card details.

Received the confirmatory email shortly afterwards and I could see the changes on aa.com (and also on checkmytrip.com)

TA is correct in that if you revise your ticket before start of travel, it's a do-over. Although it probably doesn't apply in this case, until start of travel your TA 'owns' the ticket so you would have to use his services to make changes.

I haven't used CX for several years and airlines are competing in the race to the bottom in customer service, but they're probably as good as it gets (in OW anyway) for the moment. It appeared that like most airlines they didn't have a dedicated RTW desk (only AA AFAIK) so you're in the queue for general reservations. Their North American agents - the only ones I've used - were reasonably well trained in the product. If you have status presumably your call gets better service.

If it's convenient you can also have a ticket office sort it out for you although the changes will have to be priced and depending on how they do it, that may take up to a couple of days. AA's agents in the U.S. call a rate desk somewhere for this step, which can take days to respond. I recently booked and ticket an RTW by calling AA's South African agency, which got tired of waiting for the rate desk and did the calculation themselves. It's not rocket science; you can do it yourself with the help of ITA or some other source of the taxes-and-fees data.

As said, all the changes you make to your (already begun) trip at one time incur a USD125 charge, plus those taxes and fees. You can do almost anything that was possible when you first ticketed, with those same fares and rules continuing in effect.

I think some airlines may help themselves to a 'convenience' fee on top of the $125, but maybe that's just me being cynical - I can't quote an instance.

When requesting changes it's probably most efficient of everyone's time if you've already selected the flights you want and have verified availability in your class of service.

LGLOBx fares ex JNB?
 

Hi FT community,

After spending hours with reading in the forum, it's time to bring my first RTW plannings closer to realization.

Acc. to previous forum comments, fares for the DGLOBx ex JNB rised, but acc. to KVS tool, LONEx fares seem to be more or less unchanged. I can't find prices for LGLOBx, but I'd assume that these are close to the LONEx fares (LONE4 = LGLOB29 etc.)?

For the LONEx fares, KVS tool just shows JL/AB/MH/CX/QF. What about the other OW partners? Theoretically, how could I book AB in South Africa? It is not part of their network and I guess that they don't have a TA there? Booking through QF (and/or flying with QF?) should still be avoided due to high surcharges? What would be the best option to book?

Just to be sure about that, one segment would include two flights if they were under the same flight number?

And a last question, for the while :-), I'll have a segment GIG-MAD as soon as possible after the FIFA WC Final 2014. Acc. to your experiences with peak season dates (e.g. Holiday Season?), how long might it take until I'll get a seat? Would it help / is it possible to confirm the date for that segment as soon as possible?

So long, greetings,
Joe