AA68 is SFO-MAD
I expect it is one of those AA flights with an equipment change somewhere, probably DFW - but it is one flight number and therefore only one segment on the RTW ticket.

Learn something new every day:D Today, from reading others' posts, I have learned that CX is commencing HKG-MAD and QR is commencing DOH-SYD.

I also see AA 68 as LAX-MAD (via MIA) for some dates.

I suspect the problem is that it's 2-cabin F/Y service between SFO/LAX and MIA, to which a DONE4 would book into A with no D bucket available for the domestic sector, but J/Y service over the pond, and no A bucket on the MIA-MAD sector, only D, which causes the bad robot to pitch a fit.

LOL
Now remember we are talking about an ex-South Africa itinerary, and the word robot has a strange meaning down in that part of the world:)

However, as I said in post #1270 above, I got the tool to price up a basic itinerary that happened to include that SFO-MAD flight

AA has a lot of these tag flights with domestic sectors using the same flight numbers of a "connecting" international flight with an equipment change. They tend to change the domestic sector using the international number often. for example the domestic tag on AA64 (JFK-ZRH) changes between DFW-JFK and MIA-JFK seasonally.

PandaPerth: So helpful, thank you! I've been able to add the NA legs back in (SFO-ORD-YUL-xDFW-SFO) and pricing still works! Agree with your suggestion to book most of the trip and fine-tune later for the change fee, especially as dates for Europe aren't final yet.

On the first go-round the SFO-MAD flight was on IB, no stops. After PandaPerth's suggestion and a revision, I ended up with SFO-xDFW-MAD. And yes, the tool is seeing SYD-SFO (QF73).

Good to know. :) Any thoughts on going through BA's JNB office as some were trying in this thread: Recent Mindpearl contact, anyone?

Will do. Was likely going to have to have at least one re-issue anyway, as the Europe/Middle East dates aren't final.

It's been quite an education getting to this point! RTW fares are a great option, once you figure out how it all works. Thanks to everyone who has replied. I'll follow up when my DONE* is actually done.

A route change is a re issue with the $125 fee.
A date change only is not normally a re issue. Some airlines may charge a service fee for this and other airlines will not.
A change of carrier (to a codeshare) on the same route is not normally a re issue. Some airlines may charge a service fee for this and other airlines will not. This is useful for maximising earning to your ffp

A date change will be a reissue if it changes a transit (under 24 hours) to a stopover (over 24 hours).

So if you have a transit through LHR and then make a date change to make it a stopover, it WILL be a reissue to take the UK APD?

Yes.

If there is a change in the fare/tax/surcharge/penalty calculation, this cannot be accomplished with a revalidation.

But if there is no change to the price and no penalty to collect, a change from a stopover to a transit or vice versa can be accomplished provided "O" (optional stopover) was entered into the X/O column instead of X

How to get RTW ticketed?
 

More than two weeks ago I posted about a RTW ex-JNB, and FT folks have been very helpful. I've managed to create an itinerary that meets the rules and book it online using the OW tool.

I wish I could say it's all ended well, but not so. Since Dec 13, I have rebooked the itinerary twice, including completing the process online and paying by card. Trouble seems to be not with booking, but with getting the ticket issued, which seems to be an impossible task.

Twice my booking was cancelled: once due to expiration (booking wasn't ticketed within 72 hours, so automatic cancellation) and once because flights kept dropping out of the booking. According to one QF agent I spoke with as she was recreating my booking, AA gives them 20 minutes to ticket a flight or they yank the booking. (?!) Unfortunately, the QF booking/ticketing process takes so incredibly long, that you get stuck in a cycle of fighting to keep the AA flights in the itinerary before they disappear. After spending 2 hours and 45 minutes on the phone with a booking agent for my third attempt, still no ticketed booking.

Most of my flights are on QF and AA, so I initially contacted QF to issue the ticket as they're the first carrier on my itinerary. Suffice to say, no one there knows how to issue a RTW ticket. Sure, they can book flights, and put me on hold for 45 minutes to "get a price" -- even thought I've already had a price and paid for the ticket online. Once they get a price, I have to confirm, then they have to find a ticket agent to actually issue the ticket. And here's where everything falls down. It's like a black hole. According to QF FF, there's no "rtw desk," so you're sent back to reservations.

One of the booking agents told me the ticket was in the queue, but some issues needed to be resolved by the "Sydney office." I asked for the number to call directly, and it turns out that the number she gave me was for QF FFs (which I am not), and unless I was using points to book the ticket, they couldn't help me. But they could send me back to reservations who could help me. Ugh! That was another five-day delay.

At this stage I just want to get the d*mn ticket issued. So, wise and experience FT folks: what do you recommend? :)

AA's SA desk seems to be a no-go, based on other threads I've read. (Mindperl no longer accepting non-SA credit cards.) QF is beyond useless. Any suggestions as to who might actually be able to ticket this thing?? I've seen that some FT-ers have had luck with BA's desk in SA, but I don't have any BA flights on the RTW ticket, nor do I have status with BA. I've been planning this trip for a big birthday coming up next year, but the process has really taken some of the joy out of things, and I'm no closer to an actual ticket than I was a month ago, when I started this project.

Maybe try CX SA? http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_A...etails.ZA.html

This is exactly why the fare rules require OSI YY OW RTW to be inserted into the PNR to prevent expiry ... does the online tool really not arrange this OSI message??

I regularly hold AA flights for one or two days usually on BA PNRs so I don't know what QF is doing there?? Maybe it is the lack of a fare quote.

BA, CX or JL might do it anyway.
Other option is Amex Travel, if you have an Amex-issued Amex card. Their travel agents are actually pretty good at what they do.

HI - I've been having similar issues with getting a AONE4 RTW issued ex JNB ..
QF there said they could do a Business Class ticket as no First class from JNB to SYD .... and despite my telling them that this was not the case they were adamant...
CX have told me that as the first flight is not with them but QF I have to get QF to issue the ticket .... and I have emailed them to tell them that this is not the case and am waiting to hear back from them.
As others have said it's looking like the only option is to use the bug-ridden online booking tool and then call and make changes once ticketed but there is a significant differences in surcharges ie much higher - if ticket by QF online compared to CX and also the tool no longer comes up with any QF flights between OZ and NZ which is infuriating!
I did try to email AMEX in SA to see if they could help with ticketing but have had no response .
Does anyone have a contact for them there ?
Many thanks and a Happy New Year and safe travels to all