Few questions on DONE
 

Just got a few questions (confirmations really) on a DONE ticket

I'm ex syd have to do a bit of running around at the beginning of 2007 with some meetings in brussels, detroit and chicago and looking at the DONE4 ticket it seems to be brilliant way to tack on a free asia holiday at the end, see some bits of the US I haven't visited yet (and escape chicago february weather) and rack up some killer miles/status points. I've done quite a bit of reading over the past few days and I don't see that I'm breaking any rules but it just seems to be a too good to be true deal which is why I thought I should check my logic

My current plan is

SYD to BRU via LHR
BRU to DET via LHR
DET to ORD
ORD to LAS to ORD
ORD to SFO to ORD
ORD to LAX
LAX to PEK via HKG
PEK to HKG
HKG to NRT
NRT to SYD

The first big question I guess is whether or not the asian segment at the end is considered a backtrack. My read of the rules is that it won't be but I could be missing something there

The other question is whether or not my continental US flights are allowable, I've checked the east coast/west coast airports and ORD isn't listed so am I right to assume that the fare gives me what amounts to a couple of free return J flights in the US?

I'm a qantas frequent flyer and with the exception of not earning bonus status miles on CX for the pacific crossing (just flown ORD LHR return on AA J and cannot bring myself to use AA again if there's any alternative available, just a pity I'll be a touch early for JAL) are there any other restrictions/deductions in terms of earning miles/status?

And possibly quite important, I'll hit emerald while in the US but won't have the new card so will there be any hassles using the cabanas in the wing that people talk about? One of the transfers will be overnight in HKG so my plan is to check my luggage through, hit the town then get back to the airport early for a soak and breakfast before heading on.

You can visit Asia at the end provided you don't stop over in Asia en route from SYD to Europe at the beginning.

You're allowed six segments in N. America, and can stop over anywhere as many times as you need to. Only limit is on transcontinental trips, one only - you don't show any.

Note the ticket would be around AUD1300 cheaper if bought in NZ; you'd have enough segments left to add the Tasman crossings, or could set out AKL-xHKG-LHR if you wanted.

Can't speak to the lounge question.

I haven't had to show my Emerald cards at the HKG lounges for the past 3 years, they go by the status shown on the boarding pass and in the computer (unlike BA lounges which believe the physical card and not the computer or BP). Your routing is fine, but could be optimized quite a bit to increase the earned mileage. In D all segments earn on QFF quite nicely, though I doubt it is enough miles for a couple of free J tickets to the US (more like 1 J award).

I you wanted to maximize your mileage earn, you could do DTW-ORD-MIA-LAX/LAS-DFW-SJU-JFK-HKG (you get the idea). Adding a LHR-DXB-LHR loop costs a day (you have a 2 hour turnaround at Dubai, never leave the airport) but earns lots of miles and SCs.

Excellant, that was my understanding of how the rules worked but I was worried that I had missed a clause somewhere. Since the client is paying for the ticket it means I can get a few weekends away in the US and a decent holiday in china/japan for free so the "too good to be true" internal warning radar was ringing pretty loudly.

Hmm, some interesting ideas there, I'm certainly looking at getting some flights in aus (I usually go to melbourne after christmas for the cricket) but some of that routing is well and truely out there! I probably won't do much jumping about in the US as I find travelling on US domestic J to be pretty tiring (though I wouldn't mind a trip to vancouver on the way out). The dubai idea is kinda nuts, nuts in the way that very much appeals to my sense of doing things that most people think are a little crazy. That and I've always wanted to visit dubai :)

AAdvantage FPP
 

AAdvantage FPP has a far better earn burn rate compared to QF. Worth considering. The AA Plat Challenge will get you quick AA status (do a search). If flying BA UK to USA does not get AA points, so credit any UK- USA Atlantic flight to QF.

Hmm, worth a thought, I'm coming home the long way round in a few weeks, ORD-YYZ-HKG-SYD in J, so that would be more than enough for the plat challenge (just the YYZ-HKG leg would do it) and that could be handy if I end up based in chicago for the next year or two.

Just one more quick question, can you use a codeshare with JAL on a DONE4? AA5821 from ORD to NRT which would work really nicely with my plans but it's operated by JAL (which I'd prefer to the AA flight) so I'm not sure if I can take it.

Thanks for everyones help so far, I just wish I had read this forum a couple of months earlier!

Not yet. Once JL joins OneWorld (rumored to be April 1, 2007) it should be ok. You will have to use an AA flight or route through HKG on CX. If you aren't flying that segment until after April 1(and assuming JL joins by then) you could change to the JL flight at that time.

Note the buzz on the AA forum is that the challenges may well be on AA metal only after the first of the year, so timing might be a concern. If you know when your trip is, you might sign up for the challenge before year's end if your HKG trip is after that.

Yeah, after reading what I've seen on the AA forum I'll definately be doing the challenge on the way home before the DONE4. I'm still a bit torn as to whether I should use the next few months to (easily) get my WP or to almost get my EXP, I actually would like to stay with QF but it's just too hard to ignore the benefits of AA.

The DONE will be in jan/feb so too early for JAL unfortunately, I'll probably take the AA flight and be glad that at the other end I'll be in the land of the onsen.

I understand, from prior posts, that this is not possible, because the valid airlines are those current at first issue.

Keep in mind that if you end up having to take an AA longhaul flight (e.g., ORD-NRT), you could try use 25,000 miles to upgrade to First Class one-way. Availability for upgrades to F is usually pretty good (it books in the same inventory as PAID RTW fares). The one issue is that if your ticket is not issued by AA then it may be a problem to upgrade.

I couldn't upgrade the domestic US segment on a CX HKG-LAX-JFK J fare in advance, but when I got to the Flagship Lounge at LAX, they were able to process it there with the help of the EXP desk.

While this might be true there were many of us that were able to fly LX when they joined even though we were flying on tickets purchased before they became eligible and which did not list LX as an eligible airline at time of issue.

You can use JL on a Global Explorer ticket already.