DONE4 Rule Clarification Ex SYD
 

I was informed by someone in the QF forum that I can do the following:


SYD-HKG(Transit)-JFK-LHR-SIN-HKG-SYD

or

SYD-HKG (Transit)-LHR-JFK-HKG-SYD

Is this true or just pure ignorance?? hahahaha!

If possible I will definitely take this over QF107 to JFK!

It depends on the agent and the way he/she interprets the rule. This has been discussed a lot. Here's a very recent hread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340925

That tread you posted is not ex SYD so still unclear whether this can be done or not.


I got a feeling they will count you visited Asia when you Transit in HKG. Hence you can't travel back to HKG again from JFK.


I will need to confirm. I will phone up the Centurion Travel centre and ask them to do some research on this.

Precisely, that's the whole point: the rule is unclear, and the thread is relevant, because it tells you that much will depend on who does your ticket.

Revised Itineary
 

SYD-HKGx-LHR (CX)
LHR-EDI (BA Visit EUR Pass)
EDI-CDG (BA Visit EUR Pass)
CDG-LHR (BA Visit EUR Pass)
LHR-MXP(BA)
MXP-LHR (BA)
LHR-DXB (BA)
DXB-LHR (BA)
LHR-LAX (BA)
LAX-DFW (AA)
DFW-MIA (AA)
MIA-BOS (AA)
BOS-LGA (Seperate on US or AA)
JFK-YVR (CX)
YVR-HKG (CX)
HKG-TPE (Seperate on CX)
TPE-NRT (CX)
NRT-HKG (CX)
HKG-SIN (CX)
SIN-HKG (CX)
HKG-AKL (CX)
AKL-MEL (QF)
MEL-PER (QF)
PER-SYD (QF)

Total Miles Earned = 69,490! Damn it nearly made it to 70K! hahaha!

Confusing Rules
 

Obtained from travel.com.au

TRAVEL M U S T BE TO/FROM OR VIA ADJACENT
CONTINENTS A N D MUST BE IN A CONTINOUS FORWARD
DIRECTION BEWTEEN SOUTH WEST PACIFIC-ASIA-EUROPE-
AMERICAS-SOUTH WEST PACIFIC (TC3-TC2-TC1).
BACKTRACKING WITHIN A CONTINENT IS PERMITTED
- EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED IN ROUTINGS.
* ITINERARIES WHICH INCLUDE BOTH EUROPE AND THE
SOUTH WEST PACIFIC MUST BE A MINIMUM OF FOUR
CONTINENTS. NOTE: TRAVEL ON A SINGLE FLIGHT
NUMBER BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND EUROPE MUST BE
CONSIDERED AS TRAVELLING BETWEEN THE CONTINENTS
OF SOUTHWEST PACIFIC-TO ASIA-TO EUROPE
(I.E. THROUGH THREE CONTINENTS).


ONLY ONE INTERCONTINENTAL DEPARTURE AND ONE
INTERCONTINENTAL ARRIVAL IS PERMITTED IN EACH
CONTINENT - EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS:
1)TWO PERMITTED IN NORTH AMERICA WHEN ONE IS A
TRANSFER WITHOUT STOPOVER. NOTE: TRAVEL BETWEEN
USA AND CANADA IS NOT CONSIDERED INTERNATIONAL;
2)TWO PERMITTED IN ASIA WHEN ONE IS A TRANSFER
WITHOUT STOPOVER OR ON DIRECT SINGLE PLANE
SERVICES BETWEEN THE SOUTH WEST PACIFIC AND
EUROPE;


Therefore the reason why they put rule number 2 is for people who do:

AUS-ASIA-EUR-USA-ASIA-AUS


Really confusing, has anyone done this routing before?

Yes.
I did SYD-LHR(1 same flight number)-Eur-LAX(transit)-SouthAmerica-USA-Asia-Aust on a MONE5 RTW. The aircraft landed in Asia on the way over to LHR, so that was counted as the no stopover/transit/single flight. Asia on way back had the 4 segemet limit. It was the QF agent who told me it OK. I was going to the 4 segment thing on the way to Eu, until I found about the east bound "transit" was OK. A transit is up to 23 hrs 59 minutes. I did 23:55 at LAX transit as allowed by the rules.

Thanks for your confirmation

Now All I have to decide is to either do it Via JFK first or LHR....

I am more inclined to do LHR first as I think there are more things I can do before Christmas in EUR compared to USA.
Generally 25-27 = pretty dead in Europe, therefore it is better to do that first and leave USA later. I mean @ New York everyday is busy and you can always do anything you want 24 hours a day 365 days a year!


Also it will be fun crossing the atlantic during the day ( I alway did the USA-LHR before and never the reverse!)

Don't forget you get 6 segments in North America. No need to do BOS-LGA separately. It would be your 20th segment. AA flies BOS-JFK too.

SYD-HKGx-LHR 2 segments
 

SYD-HKGx-LHR on CX counts two segments because of no single flight number flight.
So, this itinerary already uses 20 segments.
Of course, newcx12345 knows this, so BOS-LGA is excluded.

Yep Wasabi Tofu!

Also I will not waste the sector on the Y Class on BOS-JFK/LGA! Given it is only 98USD (incl tax) on the AA.com site. Maybe even lower somewhere else

You could always wait until the end of the year when QF will operate SYD-HKG-LHR as a single flight - with skybeds :D .

The reason for the two referencee in the rules is that some people were interpreting flying LHR-SYD (or vice versa) as not entering Asia and hence only wanting to pay for a xONE3 and not a xONE4 fare. The first reference is there to inform that this does actually require Asia to be included in the continent count even if you don't stopover and even if you use a same-plane single flight number (coupon/segment) between Europe and SWP.

The second reference is the one that clarifies you can transit Asia a second time so long as no stopover between SWP and NA.