Help with some rules please ...
 

Hi

Now that I have my DONE5 booked I would be grateful for some clarifications around some of the rules.

1 – I have 364 days to complete from the date of my first flight ?

2 – I can change the date/time of any segment without charge (with the exception of the first one which must be treated as fixed)

3 – Do I risk the ticket being ‘reissued’ (at a much higher price) if I look to alter the routing or is it just a $125 reroute fee ? Is this fee per flight or for each set of changes you make ?

4 - Can I add segments without risking a reissue ?

4 – If a route is discontinued and I end up having to add an extra segment through no fault of my own, would that count against my 16 segment limit ?

Thanks

is LONE4 or LONE5 off MPM supposed to be this cheap?

thinking to buy one of this flying on BA and AA and do u think it is possible to upgrade using upgrade certificate on BA and AA to upgrade to J?

Not sure what specific price you are referencing, but yes the Lone4 and 5 are good bargains in hard currency terms out of MPM, notwithstanding the recent fare increases. Naturally visa and positioning flites may increase costs, but that depends on each individuals situation.
Yes, it is possible to upgrade using AA or BA certificates on the respective carriers marketed and operated flights. Naturally all the rules of each respective instrument will apply, as on any other fare.
Note that, depending on the program used, mileage earning for either rewards or status may be limited. Nonetheless the fares remain attractive and offer quite low cpm (depending on routings obviously)

Strongly second the idea that it is best to consolidate into one program, especially since you are have little to build on this year and will be starting over, like everyone else, in January. The key is really how you will use the status after you get it, which really means what your future airlines and travel patterns are. This is especially critical because it is not clear if your flites and routings will get you to top tier in any programme and you may need additional routine travel to round out the requirements. This suggests a programme in which you can get a challenge may be attractive.
Finally, it may make sense to select your programme before starting your trips, as this will give you a chance to optimize the routings/airlines/codeshare etc for the programme you select.

the BA gold upgrade for 2 upgrade the entire ticket if issued by BA, right?
how many AA SWU would be needed to upgrade? I guess the rule is not really clear when applying to RTW ticket. yes. position and visa varies.. and i have 3.5 DONE tickets under my name, and just thinking about the future to see how to upgrade a LONE fare.

i was trying to read the fare rule from EF and found it confusing. The rule sheet is much nicer read and I can understand it really well now. thanks.

There are certainly situations in which a DGLOB34 is more useful than DONEx.

Could you please share the dummy booking you made on the tool. I am playing with possible routings and any ideas would be welcome.
Thanks in advance.

I cannot comment on BA upgrades - I've never been a member of that program.

With AA SWUs - each one can be used to upgrade up to three AA-marketed and operated flights. They have to be heading in the same direction, more or less. So for instance one could upgrade HKG-DFW-MIA-LHR using one SWU, but not say LHR-LAX-MIA-GRU.

I set it up JNB-SYD-AKL-SCL-IPC-SCL-EZE-GRU-JNB but like I said it said "itinerary complete" and let me pick dates, but trying to find flights I got an error message, "Oh dear, a problem, will let the right people know" or some such BS. Typical.

+1 The rule is crystal clear and what he said above.

1. Yes.
2. Yes. but you cant change a connection to a stopover for free (vice versa.... it depends on the airline, and they may be lazy to re calculate it so they let people slide.)
3. after you fly the first segment, you wont be charged for extra fare unless you add continents.
4) when you add segments, this is a reissue. do it after you fly the first segment.
5) i believe if you book on A - B on date X and your flight on date X is cancelled, you will be rerouted for free. However, if the flight A - B is cancelled after date Y where Y is later than X and you intend to move to date Y but you are still confirmed in date X, then you would need to pay a rerouting fee if you want to change to date Y with a connection. if you are over 16 segments at that point, you will have to change the route.

will AA take over a 160 ticket to apply the upgrade? that is the other concern.

if I do MPM DOH HKG DFW GRU xxx EZE DFW LHR yyy. then it would take 2 upgrades.

BA upgrade is per round trip so it is not clear what that means in the context of RTW ticket.

Thanks for the quick reply. It helps.
like any Done 3 it is a bit of a challenge to use all 16 segments effectively

Have never had a problem getting AA to apply a SWU to a RTW ticket issued by another One World airline. Start by calling the ExPlt line for availability and they will coordinate/ transfer to the RTW desk for reissue. May take a day or so, depending on if both desks are open when you call. If upgrade space is not available when you call (often the case), you can waitlist

Looks like 2 SWUs to me. One for HKG-DFW-GRU and the second for EZE-DFW-LHR, assuming all flights are on AA metal and with AA flite numbers.

it is mathematically impossible to use up all 16 segments on a DONE3 unless one of the continent is North America because all other continents allow only 4 intra region flights.
4+4+4 + 3 (inter continental ) = 15

cool. i will keep this in mine... would be cool to find out how the upgrade on BA works...

Subtle point

Not 364 days. it's 1 year.
It doesn't depend on whether it's a leap year or not.

If your first flight departs on 01Feb2016, the last flight can depart on 01Feb2017

'month' is used for ticket validity. It may indicate 28days,29days,30days, and 31days depending on the depature date.

BTW, minimum stay and maximum stay on air tickets is counted from the next day of the departure. Therefore, if you do same day return, minimum stay requirement has to be 0 day, not 1 day.

I believe the rule is that all stopovers must be in one direction. So LHR-LAX-MIA-GRU would be fine if LAX and MIA were transits. I've done similar before.

Likewise LHR-DFWx-GRU-LAX would be fine. Basically ignore the transits when working out if you are going in one direction or not.

The base fare won't change unless you add continent, but taxes and fare surcharges may change with routing and / or carrier change, so you might be paying more than 125USD. I believe the penalty is per transaction not per sectors but others more experienced can confirm.

I can confirm the fee is per transaction - make a whole bunch of re-routing changes at the same, pay one USD125 fee
(I once changed ...PER-HKG-PNH-HKG-XIY,IKT-DME-AMM to PER-xHKG-DME,LED-TXL,BUD-xLHR-DXB - one change fee of USD125)

Taxes, fees and changes may increase or decrease (or stay the same).

Could someone post the latest fares ex-CAI for LONEx / DONEx ?

I tried to find these using the online tool but it wont allow CAI as a starting point. Assume we need to use an agent to book tickets there?

Carriers pulled ex CAI fares due to increased bookings on the rapidly falling Egyptian Pound (with some people getting DONE3s for US2800). This is similar to what happened over the last 2 years with fares ex MPM and KRT.
As far as I know, new fares are yet to be loaded.

Provided you get an agent who understands the rules.
During my last DONE3, I went to make some simple time changes (free changes) and the person as the AA rates desk that the lounge agent spoke to wanted to charge the reroute fee.

Carriers may charge a service fee, which is different to the reroute fee. Such a fee should be the same as any other ticketing fee they might normally charge. In 11 years of RTWs, I've only been charged a service fee when making a change once. When I made a reroute before departure (-xORD-ATL-ORD- to -xDFW-RDU-ORD-). That was the service fee, reroute fee and tax changes.

Thanks. I knew some carriers had pulled fares, but could still load with the tool a week or so ago (maybe it would fail if you tried to book). Now the tool just gives an error!

I know it keeps getting asked, but at the moment it is changing a lot! Can anyone advise the lowest price Europe zone starting point for a L/DDONE4?

Base fare for DONE3 ex CAI is EGY 41,800
 

Base fare for DONE3 ex CAI is EGY 41,800

Strange my DONE3 ticket says non-refundable, i thought it was?????

Can one get a refund for a Oneworld Explorer fare?
 

As I understand it, the rules for a Oneworld Explorer ticket are shown in
https://www.oneworld.com/documents/1...9-d346ec820edf

The rules include in Section
16. VOLUNTARY CHANGES/REROUTING/PENALTIES:

(b) Cancellations and Refunds
(1) After ticket issuance - Cancellation/No Show Forfeit 10% of ticketed fare for Economy Class fares Forfeit 5% of ticketed fare for Business/First Class fares
(2) In case of refusal of official documents/entry permit/visa a full refund will apply provided official documentation from the approved authority is produced and attached to the refund request.
(3) For partially used transportation the refund if any will be the difference between the fare paid and the fare for the transportation used less the fee specified in (1) above.

So clearly to me, there should be a refund if the transportation used is less than the fare paid.

However, when inquiring about cancelling an existing just started LONE3, having the 10% and the fare used deducted, and applying the refund to start a new DONE3, I have been told:

"All flights are non-refundable. No refund value if part flown.”

So are there refunds available as in the Oneworld Explorer rules or not?

Yes, you a certainly due a refund for the unused portion of the LONE3 - provided the cost of the transportation used plus the the cancellation charge is less than the fare paid.

In your specific case, might you be able to upgrade your LONE3 to a DONE3?
There is a specific rule for that (rule 16(c) in the link you provided). There would no cancellation fee and no change fee.

Oneworld Explorer Refunds?
 

Thanks pandaperth. That is what I thought.
1. Speed of Refund
The TA I used first said to me:
"When claiming a residual refund from the airline it does take some time, on average about 6 months, I currently have an ongoing refund with BA from last November (although BA are the slowest)."
That airlines are not speedy about refunds did not surprise me.

2. No Refund for YQ?
However I was told next:
"Its normally not possible to claim back the YQ (fuel surcharge)."
This did surprise me. Why would airlines keep YQ for flights not taken?

3. Does QR not allow refunds on xONEx regardless of what ONEWORLD says?
I replied that I was considering cancelling my LONE3 ex-CAI and applying the refund to a new DONE3 ex-CAI.
This is when I was told:
"the Airline ticket rules on your booking confirmation say:
After departure:
All flights are non-refundable. No refund value if part flown."
The ticketing airline is QR. The flights flown were also on QR.
I questioned the non-refundability some days ago and still have no reply.

4. Can one Cancel an LONE3 and immediately buy a new DONE3 with the refund proceeds?
I was given a quote for upgrading my existing LONE3, but at that time (about two weeks ago) a new DONE3 ex-CAI plus the cost of returning to CAI was not that much more than the refund I calculated I should get from cancelling my existing LONE3.
Upgrading my existing LONE3 based on October 30 prices cost almost as much as a whole new DONE3 ex-CAI in mid-November. In other words, the additional cost for a new DONE3 purchased using a refund from the LONE3 would be far less than the cost of upgrading my LONE3. That is why I am trying to find out the ground rules so once I can pick a date to go to CAI; I can arrange the exchange if the cost still seems favourable.

Is there any rule or procedure that means the calculated expected refund cannot be used toward a new ticket?
If one had to wait for the airline to process a refund, that would be a deterrent.

BA is utterly terrible, in part due to not automating any of the back office process. Personally there is only so long I will wait before threatening to bring them to court or getting my credit card provider involved, but if you were ticketed by a TA it puts you in a sticky spot since they are to some extent an innocent intermediary. Other airlines have been faster, but a month or so is not unusual.

First rule of acquisition,
;) In all seriousness, on a refundable or partially refundable ticket such as this I would expect the YQ to be refunded. If not, the fare would be explicit about that and it isn't.

You should have been quoted the refundability provisions in your original booking. The QR rules are the same as anyone else:

I suspect what has happened is that your ticket was wrongly endorsed with the words "non ref" because there is no easy way to express the rules given above.


You can change your ticket to to a higher-tiered or higher class ticket at any time. This is not a refund, it is a change.

If the ticket is wholly unflown, then you will pay the for the new fare at today's prices using whatever you paid as credit towards it. If the ticket is partially flown, then you pay the fare difference as it was on the day the ticket was issued.

Can a partially-flown Oneworld ticket be exchanged for a different Oneworld ticket?
 

Thanks very much for your responses Calchas.
I appreciate that I can upgrade my LONE3 to a DONE3, starting where I am, but at October prices.

My question in this case was "Should I be able to cancel an October-purchased partially flown LONE3 ex-CAI and purchase from the same airline a new DONE3 ex-CAI using the proceeds as part payment and then return to CAI to start the new DONE3?"

Can proceeds from cancelling a ticket be transferred by a TA to a new higher-priced ticket purchase? or would I have to wait for the refund to be processed to have access to that money?

Thanks.

What you want cannot be accomplished by a change. You would indeed have to take a refund according to the rules and buy a new ticket.

It's a question for the TA ... but I don't see them fronting you any money for the new ticket until they get it back from the airline.

I appreciate that they would not want to front the money, nor would I ask them to.

So you are saying that a TA cannot transfer the proceeds from cancellation of one ticket to purchase a different ticket on the same airline.

I paid the agency (invoice/credit card) (paid a credit card surcharge in lieu of cash, so perhaps that is the same as "invoice/cash").

How long might it take for the agency to get credited by QR for the value of the cancelled partially-used ticket?

Can I presume at that point the agency could use that credited value toward another QR ticket, rather than waiting for an actual refund to the agency?

Thanks.

I have a DONE3 Issued by QR, how should I change the flights to the right codeshare?
 

I have a DONE3 Issued by QR, how should I change the flights to the right codeshare?

So what is the tool I use to find the BA flight numbers and how do i convince QR to do it?

Actual metal flights QR/QR/BA/BA/AA/AA/AA/AA/JAL/CX/CX/CX/CX/BA/BA - wasnt smart enough to ask to use codesharing http://cdn.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif

CAI-DOH-IKA-MEX-MIA-JFK-LAX-HNL-NRT-HKG-MLE-HKG-BOM-LHR-DXB

Finally decided with everyones' help to go for BA EC and get OWE

I believe that others here have reported that the AA RTW desk is usually willing to do it, especially if one of your over-water segments is on AA metal.

Thanks Dr. I have only the LAX-HNL flight but then it might have missed several opportunities to change to the right codeshare

Local QR office bit jumpy and started saying each change is USD$125, which im pretty sure isnt true

Is not easy. For AA they used to publish a pdf time table so it was easy to check for AA. Harder for others.

Start an MS Excel spreadsheet and list all your flights.

Look at www.wheretocredit.com for redeemable earnings with each of your airlines.
For status earning is much harder. You need to understand how status earning works and if BA (or AA) codeshare will earn more.

BA & AA have a close joint venture on some routes, so an AA codeshare, where a BA codeshare is not offered, may earn more BA avios/tier credits.

For each flight number plug into link with codeshare ticked. http://www.flightstats.com/go/Flight...tusByFlight.do
This will show the codeshare flight numbers, if any. There are similar web sites that show flight details. Some want $, so use another.

AA will be the best for any change
With BA or a BA flight number there is a risk they will want to add a “carrier imposed surcharge” This BA surcharge is why for South Africa issued xONEx people preferred AA to issue.

Not true. A time/date/carrier change on the same route is not a reissue ($125).
Changing a transit to stopover or stopover to transit can trigger additional/reduced local airport/country real taxes/fees.
AA will be the best for any changes. They used to have separate RTW desk, but recent reports is that this is now not operating.

A useful informative http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...es-please.html