Is this possible?
 

CAI BA LON BA DXB BA LON BA X/HKG CX JKT CX SIN BA MEL//SYD BA BKK CX X/HKG CX YVR BA LON BA CAI

Opinions would be gratefully received. Also, where can I get details on the Egyptian fares? Is Egypt still the best value point-of-origin?

Many thanks,

Not possible, backtracking in Asia is not allowed so SYD-BKK-HKG is illegal. You are allowed a transit without stopover Europe-Asia-Australia and the rules are ambiguous if a similar transit Australia-Asia-NA is allowed (the intent is to not allow it but the rules are ambiguously written and some have managed to ticket that routing, some have failed). In your case you have 3 options: move all the Asia sectors to be after SYD (this is then 100% legal); try for the ambigous booking (then becomes SYD-HKG-YVR, dropping SYD-BKK); book SYD-LAX instead (again 100% legal, dropping 2nd transit through Asia). As for CAI prices, they are higher now and Warsaw is possibly more attractive. I bet the WAW prices go up in January 2005 though.

In addtion, CAI-LON-DXB-LON is not allowed.

It depends on which class you're looking at. For AONE4, CAI is substantially cheaper than WAW (5300 vs 6100 EUR). The DONE4 prices are virtually the same at around 4000 EUR. For LONE4, CAI comes out tops again, while WAW is substantially more expensive than either the UK or Australia; even the difference between Egypt and the UK is not that big (about 200n EUR). In general the same pricing differentials also apply to the 3, 5 and 6 continent fares.

I am based in London. My wife's family are in JKT and we are interested in integrating a Middle East side trip into the itinerary. If we use miles to get to CAI, then use Coupon 1 to LON, can we have a Middle East journey and come back to LON? This does seem to be inferred in other posts?
Thanks,

You can do LON-Middle East-LON, but not if your trip starts in CAI, because in that case you would be travelling three segments in the area Middle East-UK, and you are only allowed two, as per this rule:

32N NOTE 1: NO MORE THAN 2 FREE SEGMENTS BETWEEN THE U.K.
33N AND:

ALGERIA ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN BAHRAIN BULGARIA CYPRUS
EGYPT GEORGIA GREECE IRAN ISRAEL JORDAN
KUWAIT LEBANON MACEDONIA MALTA MOROCCO OMAN
FUNCHAL QATAR ROMANIA RUSSIA SAUDIA SYRIA
PORTUGAL ARABIA TUNISIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
UKRAINE YUGOSLAVIA

You would have to fly IB to/from CAI, forcing you to have surface transits in Europe. So your routing would be CAI-MAD (or BCN)/LHR-DXB-LHR ... MAD-CAI (as you must end your RTW in the country of origin). Cannot buy extra segments in continent of origin, so you are stuck with these segments if you want to do LHR-middle east and originate in CAI.

How would these surface transits affect the two stopover rule? I mean, in order for the surface sector MAD-LHR to be a true transit, do you have to take the LHR-DBX flight within 24hrs of the CAI-MAD arrival?

A ground segment is always counted as a stopover.

If the order of visiting the middle east is not important, you could do:
CAI-LHR-XXX-LHR-DXB, which is legal as you can end anywhere in the middle east, or better yet, CAI-MAD-LHR-DXB-HKG-XXX-LHR-CAI, though you can't do this as a side trip.

Perhaps the UN may work after all........
 

I am amazed at the global response to my questions! From the various responses given, I deduce the following is possible: -
CAI IB MAD//LON BA JED BA LON BA X/SIN CX JKT CX HKG CX YVR BA LON//BCN IB CAI.
If the above routing is valid, how can I get myself an Economy and Business Class fare? Many thanks........

If you stop in MAD and LON that leaves you without a stopover possibility for JED, since the maximum allowed in the continent of origin is 2 stopovers.

Can I have the "two-free" flights between the UK and Middle East this way: -
LON BA JED BA LON BA X/SIN CX JKT CX HKG CX YVR BA LON
Thanks. :confused:

No, sorry, because if you start in LON you cannot return to LON until the end of your trip.

You may do the above routing somewhat different.. instead of Oneworld, you may do STAR ALLIANCE RTW.

If you can do CAI-x/FRA-LON-x/FRA-DXB-x/SIN-CGK-x/SIN-SYD/MEL-SIN-BKK-x/HKG-YVR-x/LHR-x/FRA-CAI.. you can do a 34K RTW fare on STAR for approx GBP 3,050 in First or GBP 2,158 in Business. (But you can only stop over in London once... from CAI..from YVR, you can opt for a "24 hour stopover" and get off in London to "take the flight the next day") Nudge nudge wink wink