The problem is how to get back to CMB from 'the other side' since you aren't going to be going back to CMB from Europe. Unless Sri Lanka is considered the same country as another country with more service, under Star File origin/destination exceptions? Don't have star file with me now but I don't recall Sri Lanka being in that list...

The OW applet is full of bugs. One or two people have reproted getting something like your suggestion ticketed, but many more have reported failure.

Cathay still officially serves CMB from Asia, no? It doesn't seem too far-fetched to assume that (someone) will issue a ticket with HKG-CMB open, and Cathay will generously drop the pax on their heads in Bangkok as they're doing with existing tickets.

It would seem that the big deal will be getting someone to ticket eastbound out of CMB. I'd hate to be among the first hundred people to approach RJ with the thought of an xONEx in mind. But AA seems super-friendly about allowing its far-flung GSAs to use its stock for such things, so maybe the AA GSA in CMB would be a good place to start.

I can't specifically speak from NYC, but from the west coast, the cost of flying the EVA codeshare flights to TPE and starting from there is still pretty attractive (it's about $1,300 for a one way SFO/LAX-TPE in J).

NRT looks even better and might work if you can find a one way that routes you through NRT on the way to TPE (and then skip the NRT-TPE leg). Especially if, as now postulated, AA Japan will ticket 16 segment (e-ticketable) xONEx's over the phone now.

Steve

I can confirm that AA NRT will e-ticket OWEs over the phone (for 16 segments or less). I had an AONE4 ticketed over the phone earlier this year.

As for the OP's question of getting to the origin of a cheap location, I've generally used redemption tickets to get there, or just continued on the next RTW trip when I finished one.

AONE4 DONE etc, how can you find a NRT fare from US location? Also same with EU start?

US location is not relevant. The xONEx's can be booking from any oneworld port to start from any oneworld port. The higher of the base fares between the booked and start locations will apply.

The trick is to use email/phone to book, pay and start from the cheaper location. e.g. When CMB was in the loop I communicated with a Cathay Pacific Agent in Sri Lanka via EMail. I 'wired' the fare to them and collected the tickets at CMB airport from where commenced my DONE4.

Unless I'm rolling RTW tickets (which seems a popular choice) or don't want to use the RTW ticket for a chunk of the globe (end the RTW in NYC rather than NRT), I'd need a round-trip to NRT rather than a one-way. The spread between buying a DONE4 in NA and in Japan is about $2,200.

I really should plan an itinerary. I'd pay a bit more for elite qualifying points, but not a lot.

It looks as if CX are looking at restoring the CMB service:

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_0...1132127SL.html

That'd be awesome. If only there was more certainty in doing an exCMB DONE. I'm sticking with NRT for now to avoid having to deal with unnecessary stress.

I think the poster was questioning whether one could telephone the airline office in NRT from the USA, book and pay for an eticketed xONEx, and expect to pay ex-Japan prices.

Chances are high that they'll find out the awful truth and charge NA prices. If they're kindly, they'll find a way to complete the payment in Japan, and call that good enough for Japanese prices.

There used to be a line in the star file apparently designed to stop foreigners like us showing up in a cheap country, plunking our c/c on the counter, and walking away with cheap tickets, pretty much against the spirit of SITI pricing. It said that the price would also be adjusted to a higher location based on the paying currency. Pay in USD, enjoy the North American rate. Absolutely no one ever enforced that provision, afaik, the excuse being that the transaction was being done in the selling country's currency.

I guess the poster will have to tell us what he originally meant but others (Gardyloo as an example) haven't had any trouble doing this.

Why not? Why should it make a difference where one telephones from? See post #20 of this same thread.

Only for e-ticketable (16 segment) itineraries. 16+/paper tix and they want you there. But they'll hold them and the whole process takes ~15 minutes.