The rule is maximum 2 stopovers in the continent of origin. If you're trying to do TYO-BLR-HKG-SIN-<somewhere> with stopovers in BLR, HKG & SIN then a OWE isn't the ticket for you. The only way the ticket would not be forfeited after no-showing HKG-SIN in that situation is if you then reissued the ticket with a transit, rather than a stopover, in SIN. If you then no-showed the outbound from SIN then the rest of the ticket would be void.

very helpful, thank you. will go and scheme somemore.

At the cost of 8 more hours in a plane you could simply fly as ticketed and buy a cheap SIN-HKG-SIN ticket (less than US$200 round trip on TigerAir, for example).

BTW,

CX5153/KA513 is a direct flight from BLR to HKG.
I can find some D and L availability in May.

There is no TYO(HND,NRT)-BLR flight.
Therefore, two segmets have to be used already.
So, be aware of maximum 4 segments in Asian continent.

As far as I can tell, you can only set alerts for specific currency pairs. You can't ask for an alert if any currency (or any of a list of currencies) falls significantly against the GBP or EUR or USD, only if currency XXX falls against the GBP, e.g.

Deleted

I agree. The question is which other currency to set the alert for?

Sorry, I only realized what you were saying afterwards. Hence I deleted my post. :-)

Indeed, if I knew which currency would be falling I wouldn't be spending my time shaving a few % off a RTW fare :D

Perhaps a Google alert for "currency plummets" or some such might work?

Make a list of currencies in which xONEx fares can be issued.

That must be most of them ...?

OTOH the USD and the EUR are unlikely to merit "watching" and the pair covers a lot of countries...

Happy wandering.

Fred

Stability is greatly overrated, at least in this game.

New to FT, have been going through this thread but its pretty long and when I see info dated over a few years I don't know whether to trust its up to date. Been a dream to book a DONEx flight forever but only have the time and routing flexibility now for the travel.

- Are the ex-MPM DONEx fares still good or ex-JNB, and by how much better are these fares than the US. Or is there any other good location to start from in Asia, particularly north Asia (NRT?)?

- if ex-MPM DONEx fares still a no brainer, must routing always go first to DOH (i see its the only direct connection)? or can i go MPM-JNB then other points in africa before going to "europe". Reason being I am looking to go JNB (can also go MPM too as its all for scuba diving), in July, followed by Europe

- Additionally how would the routing look from North America back to Africa over the atlantic? I didnt see any direct flights from NYC to Africa on the OW RTW tool (is direct needed?).

- Is there a time limit to how long the full RTW journey will take? Can I have my last leg as far out in advance as possible like over a year, allowing some flexibility? For instance I travel HKG-JFK alot and reside in HKG but if i start elsewhere and book a last leg on HKG-JFK way out in the future is that possible?

- generally what is the best way to book after I finalize my routing? sounds like an AA or CX agent over the phone would be best?

- If i am looking optimize accrual of CX MP club points for status, generally should i always be going for the CX codes on any codeshare flights?

Thanks!

the ticket is valid for 1 year from the date of first segment, and date change is free if routing is the same.

there is no mpm jnb on oneworld.

i dont know how marco polo club point works and i personally think marco polo is not a very good program, especially for done fare.

the base fare for both jnb and mpm in d class is over 6000usd, i believe and one has to pay fuel surchages and tax on top. so easily 7k usd for the ticket which is still a good value if money is no a big problem. probabaly around the same ex japan.

aa is the best over the phone but aa insists that u must have at least one over the water segment on aa. ie hkg lax or hkg dfw, or aa coded hkg jfk. or usa to Europe.

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

They exist but they are not as good as they were. Not much saved over originating at JNB.

Ex-Japan is traditionally quite good for Asia.

Yes. There is no alternative oneworld flight out of MPM.

Comair (a BA franchisee) used to run a flight from MPM to JNB back in 2013, but it wasn't profitable. They axed it pretty quickly.

You'll have to go via Europe/Middle East. You're allowed to touch the continent for a second time but only for a transit.


One year from date of departure.

You can leave the last leg open if you like, if you can find a ticketing agent capable of doing that. But it is more practical to put in a dummy sector that you change later.

A leg can be booked up to one year in the future, and sometimes less, depending on the airline. However the ticket (like all air tickets) is valid for one year after departure, and date changes on the ticket are free after departure of the first leg. So you can change the ticket later. (But there is a no show penalty.)


Yes. You'll probably also want to look at the Marco Polo web pages to find out which alternative partners are better than others. But in general you'll want as many CX codes as you can get.

Thanks for all the responses!

Looked at ex-JNB vs ex-Tokyo, similar pricing DONEx around 7500

Regarding ex-JNB or ex-Africa routings - is there any way to go eastwards on the RTW? having difficulty finding routings on the webtool where the last leg is USA-JNB, ie JNB-europe-asia-USA-JNB.

Some example core routings (east bound)
JNB-HKG-JFK-LHR-JNB
JNB-HKG-JFK-GRU-JNB
JNB-xDOH-HKG-JFK-LHR-JNB
JNB-LHR-HKG-JFK-xDOH-JNB
JNB-LHR-HKG-JFK-GRU-JNB
etc.

Yes, JNB is only about $300 USD cheaper than NRT. Depending on where you want to go, ex-JNB/CPT usually means an extra continent, so there's that to consider.

You can start by flying JNB-HKG, JNB-DOH, or JNB-SYD. You can't finish by going U.S. to JNB in one segment, though. You'll have to connect in Europe or South America.

Interesting. AONE4 a few hundred USD cheaper ex-TYO than ex-JNB according to EF.

yeah it seems tough for my plans (if i want JNB before Europe), will only be able to consider west bound then. thanks!

I have started a RTW with my first segment being CAI - LHR and next being LHR - SCL. My last segment is DEL - CAI routed via LHR.

Questions - can I make LHR a stopover on the last segment ? (I think the answer is no but I just want to be sure !!)

and is it possible to end somewhere else in "Europe" rather than CAI (noting that CAI is considered as Europe for RTW's)

Thanks

Thanks for responding. My first stop in LHR will be about 4 months so no good for the second stop then !!!!

Thanks also for the clarification around the final destination.

Planning to get my RTW changed this week - some more questions (note I have already flown my first segment)

1 - I was ending in CAI but based on above response I am assuming DOH will be ok ?

2 - I am doing route changes as well as date changes and going from 13 segments to 15 - will it just be $125 change fee plus taxes or will there be any form of fare adjustment as well ?

Thanks

125 change fee
plus
​​​​​​​tax and applicable fuel surcharge - picking the right carriers are very important.

Thanks for those numbers; this is very interesting.

One also has to take into account, of course, the strategy of using 'positioning' flights to take advantage of an attractive fare at a particular xONEx originating point. People will have their own reasons for choosing where and how they embark on an RTW (e.g., is the start/end country a desirable destination in and of itself, or is it merely a transit from the positioning flight to the xONEx). Our last RTW was a DONE5 ex-JNB because we spent a week in South Africa at the end. Otherwise, however, a DONE4 generally gets us where we want to go. In those circumstances, a DONE4 ex-NRT will save us close to $1000 p.p. compared to a DONE5 from JNB -- which savings help to seriously defray the cost of the positioning ticket. And since the xONE4 and xONE5 both have the same 16-sector limit, the potential for racking up boocoo FF points is unaffected.

Many thanks

Trying to change my ex CAI DONE5. The airline that issued the ticket and has made previous changes now tells me the below is not a valid routing because I am "backtracking" by leaving Europe, entering Africa and reentering Europe (CAI-xLHR-CPT-xLHR-BKK, etc. then returning to Europe). Have not flown 1st segment yet but the airline doesn't seem to care.

CAI-xLHR-CPT-xLHR-BKK-KIX-HKG-AKL-SCL-MIA-LAX-xMAD-KEF-xTXL-DME-xDOH-CAI

The airline doesn't seem them to be concerned with any other part of the itinerary so I'm not bringing it up. Their only issue is the "backtracking" from LHR-CPT-LHR. I told them I can reenter Europe solely to transit but they say no. Who is right? What rule specifies I can reenter Europe for transit? Previously the same itinerary went CAI-xLHR-JNB-xDOH-AKL, etc. returning to Europe, but I had to get rid of Africa for personal reasons and now trying to add it back in is tough. They tell me that I cannot go LHR-CPT-DOH-BKK (going through DOH instead of LHR) because that is backtracking also and I won't be able to return to DOH at the end of the trip! I'm trying not to complain too loudly because the airline is willing to make changes without asking too many questions.

According to Oneworld Explorer rule sheet:

https://www.oneworld.com/documents/1...9-d346ec820edf

xLHR-CPT-xLHR is to/from Europe in both directions. So you can not go to South Africa(CPT).

CAI-LHR-JNB-xDOH-BKK-... is permitted.
CAI-LHR-NBO-xLHR-BKK-...is permitted.

Furthermore,

xMAD-KEF-xTXL-DME-xDOH-CAI

contains 5 segments in Europe/Middle East. Only 4 segments are permitted in Europe/Middle East continent.

EDIT EDIT *** (With CAI-LHR, there are 6 segments in Europe/ME continent) *** EDIT EDIT

Because you have to do
For example, you cann't do
CAI-xLHR-JNB-xDOH-xLHR-BKK
DOH has to be a transit point between Africa and the previous/next continent(Asia/SWP/N.A).

About
You can do
CAI-xLHR-CPT-xDOH-BKK

About this part, an airline agent is wrong under current rule.

BTW, my current ex-MPM AONE4 is (not include double entries to Europe from non-Africa originating)
MPM-xDOH-HND-BKK-NRT-CMB-NRT-LAX-LHR-DXB-LHR//CDG-DOH-CDG//LHR-JNB

Now I'm confused. What's the difference between those 2 permitted routes and what I've got? What's the difference if I transit LHR (xLHR) in both directions or DOH? Or what's the difference between CAI-LHR-JNB-xDOH-BKK (you say permitted) and the CAI-xLHR-CPT-xLHR-BKK that I have? I don't see a difference, further your permitted route has a stopover in LHR.

Edit: Rule 4 (e) (3) allows 2 intercontinental departures from Europe/Middle East but I have a tough time interpreting the right side of the table providing conditions.

The issuing airline hasn't brought this up so neither will I. I know I can terminate at DOH, however, they are forcing me to terminate at CAI.

Again, I really don't care whether I transit in LHR or DOH, but I fail to see the difference between this example and my routing. Are you saying that I simply cannot transit LHR twice? Even though DOH is still "Europe?"

Bottom line. I want to go to CPT then to BKK (without flying JNB-HKG). How do you suggest I modify that route to comply with the rules so that I can cite the rule to them that it is permissible? Thank you for your help so far.

In my understanding, and some airline agents understanding, the key point is to distinguish Europe/Middle East Continent, Europe zone, and Middle East zone.
Some airline agents and I agree to this point.

In page 2
There are four possible paths for Europe/Middle East - Africa - Europe/Middle East (Ignoring other restriction)

Europe zone - Africa - Europe zone (ex. LHR-JNB-LHR, LHR-NBO-LHR)
Europe zone - Africa - Middle East zone (LHR-JNB-DOH)
Middle East zone - Africa - Europe zone (DOH-JNB-LHR)
Middle East zone - Africa - Middle East zone (DOH-JNB-DOH)

When you to/from Europe (zone) in both direction (Europe zone -Africa - Europe zone), the itinerary may not include South Africa/Mauritius.
Therefore, LHR-JNB-LHR is invalid, and LHR-NBO-LHR is valid.

After that, you have to satisfy
So,
IMHO,
CAI-xLHR-CPT-xDOH-BKK-...-xMAD-...-DOH is valid routing.

However, I realized your original routing includes 6 segments in Europe/Middle East continents.
(CAI-LHR,xMAD-KEF-xTXL-DME-xDOH-CAI)

Where are the best places to start DONEX tickets from? (PM Please)
 

Hi All

Can anyone suggest (by PM as I understand why) where are the best ex-options for a DONEX ticket now, I realise ex-CAI is not workable these days.

Thanks in advance

very TiredDoc

I don't think there are any secret places to start a DONEx

The recognised low-cost starting points are:
- Mozambique
- South Africa
- Japan

I have fond memories of Sagy's auto-updating spreadsheet... but those days, it seems, are long gone.

Is there any other centralized place where fares from these origins are posted (in their local currencies)? Searching this long thread (and the larger forum) shows various prices at various times, and sometimes at varying exchange rates to USD. It's honestly hard to keep track of what's current [especially as exchange rates evolve], and squeezing this info from the online tool is a totally excruciating exercise.

You can easily get them using Expert Flyer and/or KVS, both paid services. https://www.expertflyer.com/ and http://www.kvstool.com/

They aren't advertised because most countries (and the EU) require airfares to be shown including relevant taxes and fees. Because each route in RTW itineraries is unique, with different taxes and fees applicable, it's impossible to list them in normal advertising channels.

You can see the "base" fares on those two sources, but remember that taxes and fees can make a huge difference, sometimes enough to outweigh the "positioning" cost benefits. You should do your cost estimating using an "all in" method - base fare plus taxes/fees plus cost of positioning pre- and post-RTW. It might make a difference, or end up being such a small difference that the hassle factor of schlepping halfway around the world to save $500 merits a second thought.

ATPCO will sell you a subscription to their all fares data ... :) but the monthly cost will buy you many AONE6s.

On, ahem, a slightly off topic note would people be interested in a subscription to a web service that did notify you when a particularly good xONEx fare was published?