A year ago, CX in BKK were refusing to allow SYD-PER-MEL (2 Trans Cons). This was even though the rules on their desk had YET to include MEL-PER in the banned 2 Trans Cons sectors. I ended up doing SYD-PER-ADL and getting a cheap ADL-SYD.

CBR remains legal, and is easily driveable from SYD

Indeed it is; there are less flights on the route. I would suggest ( especially if in business class ) that if doing a CBR route to do CBR-PER rather than PER-CBR

PER-CBR does not operate on MON
On Tuesday- Saturday QF720 PER-CBR operates at 00:15 and arrives at 06:00 . Aside from the awful schedule, if travelling in business, be aware that it is operated using a 734 so has convertible seats rather than normal domestic business class

On Saturdays and Sundays there is a decent 15:15 departure which arrives at 21:00 operated using a 73H

CBR-PER is better since it has 1 flight each day using a 73H which departs at 19:20 arriving at 22:00

Dave

Convertible seats sounds like a Good Thing, although maybe that just proves that I don't know exactly what they convert into. I'm imagining something akin to a bed.

Think again. It is like the intra-Europe biz class where they move a divider among the many economy seats, though the first 2 or 3 rows have some extra inches of seat pitch. Maybe even a 2 x 3 seat configuration instead of 2 x 2. And last year I did fly the 00:15 redeye to CBR. Not a problem since I was the only 1 in biz class and slept most of the flight.

You have a good imagination

the 3-3 economy layout changes to a 2-2 business layout

The seat area is slightly wider and you get a larger armrest, but seating wise they are the same seats whether sold as economy or business

on a QF 734 , I would never bother going for business class

Dave

These convertable seats are the first five rows of a QF 734 and have a pitch akin to Qantas Domestic Business class so there is more room to the seat in front then the rest of WHY . Often good to snag one of these as a WHY PAX because of this.

Here as a seat map: Variable Configuration

The back of the middle seat comes in three sections across; the outer of these are connected to their adjoining seat when in business configuation and act as part of the outer seats' backrests. When in WH, these three sections lock together to form the backrest for the middle seat.

Ouch! Was I wrong! Well, at least it sounds like the armrests move out of the way.

The definition of Australian trans-continental changes early this year. They now include MEL in the restricted flights to/from PER. So you can no longer do MEL-PER-BNE as that would be two of the restricted routes.

There is AKL-ADL and then add ADL-PER-BNE. But that means missing MEL.

Finally got a response from BA Turkey (Bremen) on my DONE5 which had been prebooked with BA RTW USA:
So not only are they trying to charge me the USA fare (they are saying it needs to be booked in Turkey, not in the US). But the fare is now EUR1000 more than on WearyBizTrvlr's spreadsheet! Back to square 1 for me...

Sounds like BA at least is finally enforcing the SITI rules, and in that arena it seems that the search for a qualified TA is on. Too bad Emeco doesn't have designs on expanding throughout the region.

Me thinks it's more a case of an agent talking through his/her hat. Bremen is not Turkey either so by that 'rule' one would have to say there is no way to book an ex-IST OWE, at ex-IST price, thorugh BA. For that matter nor should I be able to book an ex-MAD OWE/Price either, since the AA RTW desk is in the US and AA 'Madrid' is in Mexico.

I think the rules are quite clear, but we've been spoiled because they haven't been enforced. Now enough people are taking advantage of the fare variations that it's gotten a little notice at BA revenue management.

The point of all those fares is clear: to buy a ticket at the Turkish price, you're supposed to be sitting in your apartment in Istanbul, with a wallet full of Turkish currency (there is/was a currency-of-payment rule). The fact that BA choses to pick up your call in Bremen or Mexico City is their business. After the call and the arrangements, a BA agent or proxy (at IST these days) will run your Turkish credit card and hand you your tickets.

Anything more generous than that is a gift from OW. Right, OWE wizards?

The OP's next step is to cancel the res made so conveniently with BA/Canada and try booking it directly through the IST/Bremen line. I can't guess if he has to hoodwink them by not giving them an excuse to know he's communicating from the US, or if he can be up front about it. A cautious approach might be to have an unrelated friend call Bremen and ask if they'll take an itin and price it ex-IST, and accept payment with a U.S. credit card.

If BA and the others go forward with playing by their rules, then as I said the search is on for qualified TA's in cheap cities. The agent is of course "your agent", acting for you as if you were standing in his office, afaik. Not that I'm having any luck getting hold of one in Damascus, of course.

I won't be booking ex-IST anymore at the price they quoted me of �5999.

Well a couple of observations -

- The fares do go up, and "bargain" origin points change from one year to the next. One must still get to the origin points so while IST may have been cheaper than, say, ARN for OWE issues, one can get to Sweden from various places more cheaply than Turkey.

- All it takes is for somebody who speaks Turkish and who has an Istanbul yellow pages to find a competent TA in Istanbul, someone like the Cairo or Bangkok agents who have profited by knowledge of this niche market. Ditto Damascus or wherever.

- Let's see what the bottom line is re surcharges and taxes after this year's fare increases. The "second sticker" has been growing faster than the base price.

- While �5999 sounds like a lot, think of it as 20 business class tickets at �300 each. Some flights (say, MCI-DFW) would be losers for that, but HKG-JFK or JNB-SYD for 300 Euros? Bring it on. May lead to more judicious use of segments.

- BA's RTW people in N. America and Bremen, it seems, don't know "booking" from "ticketing." So vat else iss new?