Help with our RTW itinerary plz

Just planned our first ever rtw trip. Have given ourselves a year to complete....treating it as the Gap year we never had (we are 41 and 38!) Looking for advice about segments we could add and any good ideas that we have overlooked in our excitement! Is Cairo the best city to start from? We intend to leave around April 6th and the only 'must' is New Zealand from mid June to mid July. We intend to spend 3 months in both Australia and South Africa. Big thanks for any help or advice you have to share
Our itinerary:
CAI => JFK
JFK => YUL
YUL => JAX
MIA => ANC
overland to Vancouver
YVR => SFO
SFO => HNL
HNL => NAN
NAN => AKL
AKL => MEL
SYD => PEK
PEK => BKK
BKK => KUL
KUL => HKG
HKG => CPT
CPT => LHR
LHR => CAI

European segments? We've already travelled around the major cities...any ideas? Thanks again
M and P

First off, you need to add all the other segments in your routing as there are no direct flights say between CAI-JFK.

So you'd be flying:
CAI-LHR-JFK or CAI-MAD-JFK ,
JFK-YUL-DFW-JAX (buy seperate ticket between JAX and MIA)
MIA-ORD-ANC //
(you'd need a seperate ticket to get from YVR to SFO as AA does not fly this route)
SFO-HNL-NAN-AKL-MEL //
SYD-HKG-PEK (QF has no direct flight from SYD-PEK),
PEK-HKG-BKK-
(buy seperate flight BKK-KUL-BKK so as to save you a couple of sectors)... BKK-HKG-JNB-CPT-LHR-CAI

Please note that you cannot fit in any more sectors as you are only allowed a maximum of 20 sectors.

Hi,
Just a few points initially.
What type of RTW fare have you based this on?
You cannot do CAI-JFK direct. You will have to go CAI-LHR-JFK or CAI-MAD-JFK.
Hmmmm, after looking at the rest of the routes you want to fly, I suggest you search the forums as most of these are not possible with single flight numbers and certain codeshares not possible either. Eg: YVR-SFO is not allowed as it is serviced by Alaska Airlines (AS) using an AA flight number.
Cairo can be worthwhile depending on where you are coming from. Where are you based?
I have given you some links to read and after reading those please feel free to come back with any questions you may have.
The first thread will help you immensely.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338667
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350625

[QUOTE=Guy Betsy]So you'd be flying:
CAI-LHR-JFK or CAI-MAD-JFK ,
JFK-YUL-DFW-JAX (buy seperate ticket between JAX and MIA)
MIA-ORD-ANC //
(you'd need a seperate ticket to get from YVR to SFO as AA does not fly this route)

Thanks for the prompt reply. Do stopovers eg LHR between CAI and JFK (only a few hours) count as segments too? Hm..told you we were novices!! From my perusing American Airlines Flight 7075 seems to fly from YVR to SFO or have I misunderstood something? All adds to the excitement of the grand planning though. Thanks again

Thanks for the links. Learning so much just planning this trip!!! Thanks for the prompt reply and we we will certainly get back to you with any questions We are based in Edinburgh.

Also download the oneworld electronic timetable here.

If you're planning to use the oneworld Explorer (OWE) product, remember that you have 20 flights only, counting connecting flights, and are limited to certain numbers of flights per continent. The sticky threads mentioned cover those rules.

I assume you're planning on cruising from ANC to YVR? Remember seasonality.

If you're planning to use the Global Explorer product (which would allow you, for example, to visit Fiji - the OWE doesn't) then you'd be limited to 34,000 miles total. Use this tool to count the miles, in concert with the OW timetable mentioned above. Glancing at your itinerary quickly, and adding in some of the connecting flights you've left out, it looks like you would be way over the 34K mi without cutting several destinations.

Are you a OW elite or do you care which alliance or RTW "team" you use? If not, you might want to check out some of the Star Alliance RTW products, which, while mileage based, might offer you more possibilities in the Pacific or even Asia (through their use of Air New Zealand and Singapore AL). It's a lot of money, so do your homework.

Where you start has to do with (a) where you live and (b) what class of service you're choosing. Don't discount the cost of getting to the starting point in the first place. Of course that's part of the adventure too.

Also bone up on mileage programs and what the aftermath of a RTW might mean to your status and ability to fly free or comfortably for an extended period following. No small matter.

And finally, welcome to FT.

[Edited to add]
On the OW electronic timetable, if a flight is codeshared, i.e., operated by another airline, it will say so. Most N/S west coast N. America flights are operated by Alaska Airlines, some using AA flight numbers as well as their own. Those flights are not eligible on the OWEs because AS is not a member (yet ) of OW.

A segment is one flight number. There are some cases where a flight retains its number despite stopping en route; those are regarded as one flight. All others are one segment of your 20.

A stopover is >24hrs, no matter why.

[QUOTE=Gardyloo
If you're planning to use the Global Explorer product (which would allow you, for example, to visit Fiji - the OWE doesn't) then you'd be limited to 34,000 miles total. Use [URL=http://gc.kls2.com/]this[/URL] tool to count the miles, in concert with the OW timetable mentioned above. Glancing at your itinerary quickly, and adding in some of the connecting flights you've left out, it looks like you would be way over the 34K mi without cutting several destinations. QUOTE]


Thanks for the time and effort in replying. On the Cathay Pacific Downloadable timetable there seems to be a Quantas flight (3020) to Nan from HNL. Am I missing something Thanks for the advice. This is a real learning experience ^

Another codeshare gotcha - that one's operated by Air Pathetic.

[Edited to add]
On the OW electronic timetable, if a flight is codeshared, i.e., operated by another airline, it will say so. Most N/S west coast N. America flights are operated by Alaska Airlines, some using AA flight numbers as well as their own. Those flights are not eligible on the OWEs because AS is not a member (yet ) of OW.


Thanks for all your help, we've still got 3 months left to plan the trip, it will probably take that length of time to understand all the ins and outs

I've noticed on some itineraries DFW-ANC-DFW or ORD-ANC-ORD yet on the OW electronic time table they both seem to be run by alaska so there not valid routes,

I think the American leg will have to go something like
MIA-YUL-DFW-YVR-DFW-LAX-AKL
that will be using up my 6 segments in NA would there be any way you could see of us including both ANC or HNL. apart from buying separate flights.
It may be cheaper for us to by flights from MIA-YUL or YVR - LAX to save segments? sorry to put this on you, but I've a bee in my bonnet with regards Alaska they've completely mucked up my plans. thanks M.

They are valid AA metal routes, only seasonal (from jun to sep).

thanks for that, we'll be looking at may so it seems ANC is out of the question unless we book a separate flight.

Maybe you have 3 months, if you don't care about the cost. Historically the RTW fares are adjusted in January, and rumour has it that CAI will double in price then. Who knows, it didn't last year (those who konw can't post here!). But the South African fares went from the lowest to the highest in a single bound. So, if you are serious about this trip, it may be worth a few thousand pounds to you to book and ticket it before Jan. 1.

As for the ANC flight questions, AA has seasonal service (June through September), so probably not operating on your dates. AS (Alaska) has added new service to ORD and maybe will to DFW, and AA codeshares with AS, but I think the AA metal flights will still operate next summer. If only AS would join Oneworld, but it costs too much to join.

...Historically the RTW fares are adjusted in January, and rumour has it that CAI will double in price then. Who knows, it didn't last year (those who konw can't post here!). But the South African fares went from the lowest to the highest in a single bound. So, if you are serious about this trip, it may be worth a few thousand pounds to you to book and ticket it before Jan. 1....



Can you confirm that if I purchase a DONE5 ex-CAI before the end of December, with travel to commence Aug 15 '05 with open dates for travel from Nov 30 '05 to April 30 '06, that by simply having the dates filled and seats assigned, I will not incur a change fee. I also understand that if I change the routing or change any legs of the trip, that I will probably have to pay the new fare (if there is an increase) between original ticket and the reticketed one?

Thanks,

BdaDiver

That's only 5 segments ..... the LAX-AKL segment is your departing 'intercontinental' segment and doesn't count as one of the six.

Once you are ticketed, the fare and rules apply. You can have all open segments after the first segment and there will be no change in the fare if you later reissue, except the $75 fee for reissue. The key is you MUST fly that 1st segment on the date that it is ticketed.

That is the advantage of these tickets. One can buy 11 months in advance and have 1 year from the date of the first flight to use the ticket, all at the fare when the ticket is actually purchased.