Just come off the phone from Tal in WAW. I asked them to issue my DONE4 as an eticket but they say they can't as it is over 16 segments. Is this true?

If they are using Sabre, definately. Sabre can't handle more than 16 segments electronically, hence AA's limiting of OneWorld Awards to 16 segments ever since they started requiring E-Tickets for award travel.

Over 16 segments it will have to be hand written.

yes, but the OP is referring to an XONEX ticket. There has been some talk in the past about these being limited to 16 segments so as to allow for electronic ticketing, but, to my knowledge, that has not been introduced. This may the first concrete evidence that such a rule has been imposed.

While e-tickets would take out much of the burden of reissuing complex itineraries, it is not worth the cost of further erroding the value of the fare.

They didn't say they couldn't issue the ticket - just not as an e-ticket.

Providing they issue on paper - I can't see a problem

The problem I have is they want me to pick-up the paper ticket from their office in Warsaw. That is only open Mon-Fri and I plan on starting my trip on a Saturday. So far they are baulking at sending it via post/courier to me in the UK. If they stick to that then I will have to make a trip to WAW to collect it. An e-ticket would eliminate the issue.

Why not make up a 16-segment trip, get the e-ticket from Tal, then have it re-issued someplace when you have time? Reasonable use of US$75 IMO.

Gaza No problem with your issue! I was commmenting on PresRDC's post that there was no way that they'd issue any RTW over 16 sectors.

Seconded -- this is the right solution. And if you add the missing segments at the end, the reissue can also be an e-ticket as it will be less than 16 segments remaining by then. Works like a charm.

I agree that doing it that way would be the best option but as I said HERE time is not on my side. I have 15 flights back to back over 7 days that absolutley need to be booked and ticketed before departure. The last of the 15 is already full but I have it held under another PNR. At the end of this little lot I will be in New Zealand for 2 weeks. I don't have much faaith in QF in WEL or CHC being able to deal with the reissue of a DONE4. I also face a further issue with my AKL-HKG flight being full in all classes. Again I have a seat held under another PNR that I cannot lose so I need to get a ticket number in the reservation ASAP. It is also likely that the HKG-LHR leg will also be fully booked so I need to keep that and get a ticket number in the reservation.

Let me rephrase that.

Travel agents' SABRE *can* handle over 16 segments. It may issue tickets automatically up to 24 segments. It is only on the AA's airline CRS, (although powered by SABRE isn't called SABRE anymore...) that they can only handle up to 16 segments for ticketing.