Where is the cheapest origination for D RTW?
 

I'd like to book 3 One World, 4 continent D tickets. I live in the US but will gladly originate in another country to save money. Which country outside the US makes the most sense?

I believe it is Mauritus. A bit of a commute for you from the USA though

Mauritus is a not as strong a winner for DONEx tickets than it is for a AONEx - especially with recent exchange rate changes. The OP could mention which 4 continents, and ideally which cities, he will travel to. Needing to add a continent would add to the cost and hassle. Likewise adding a separate flight. E.g. I don't believe going out of your way to get to MRU would make sense if you already planned to go to South Africa.

I believe CMB is the clear winner now at 4200USD for DONE4

Has anyone actually priced that out / ticketed it at that price? I assumed it was the old price from when CMB was last a valid starting location and actually getting it ticketed with that base fare would not be possible.

2/23/08 PER EXPERT FLYER

JNB $ 5,194
CMB $ 5,489
MRU $ 5,649 ( + $ 300 fee by local rep )
ARN $ 7,108 ( + $ 50 fee by local rep )
NRT $ 7,249

( for reference )
LIM $ 7,500
ORD $ 8,300

I think Jakarta is cheapest in Asia $5928

Be careful with tickets ex Latin America as some countries attract very high sales taxes. Peru's is 19%.

Welcome to FT!

"Cheapest" is a misleading term. The base price is one thing, the taxes, service charges and uneven fuel surcharges are another, and of course the cost of accessing the start point, whether measured in dollars/euros/whatever or in spendable FF miles, is another, and the on-site costs at the origin point (hotels or other subsistence expenses while waiting for your first flight etc.) is yet another.

Currency fluctuations are increasingly a big issue. Last time I looked (and it's a moving target on a daily basis) South Africa was cheaper for D-class OWEs than Mauritius - if one is translating ZAR or MUR to USD. In Asia, last time I looked, Manila was the cheapest place, with yen v. dollar exchanges having knocked Japan out of the top spot. I'll believe the Sri Lanka prices when somebody gets ticketed. My personal belief is that it's a case of not updating tariffs on the part of CX or RJ.

In Europe, Sweden seems to have lost "first place" to Gibraltar by a few pounds/dollars. Now that IB serves GIB, it can be a decent starting place if one is looking at moving on to North or South America directly; unfortunately BA still goes to LGW from GIB, so any longhaul options after the first segment are constrained, or else one needs to burn a segment due to the LGW-LHR connection problem. (And since AA is leaving LGW, no North America transits now possible except on BA to the Caribbean.)

All part of the jigsaw puzzle; love it or hate it.

Gardyloo is right. I'd also add the cost of buying an extra [unwanted] continent in some cases. For me buying an OWE ex-Africa means paying for a DONE5/6 where a DONE4/5 would do if bought elsewhere.

Fiji?
 

I see the RTW fare from Fiji is pretty good as well, (I believe in the 5K range) and there are nonstop flights from LAX to Nadi so it is not as out of the way as Sri Lanka or MRU...But I am not sure how one would construct the RTW out of Fiji even through One World lists a fare. None of the true One World members fly there, though Qantas does codeshare with Air Pacific to Sydney and Melbourne (Maybe they do fly there own planes)

Does anyone know?

I've been planning an RTW itinerary where significant travel is in Europe, Asia Australia and New Zealand, with CAI, ATH, HKG, AKL, SYD, AYQ, PER and CNS being the cities of interest. So far, the options I have end up wasting North America/South America (OWE) or Africa (Circle Trip Explorer) but the continent count is the same.

The oneworld fare you see listed is for Global Explorer. This product allows the use of Air Pacific (as well as Aer Lingus and Gulf Air), which together with the ow airlines enables the construction of a RTW itnerary ex-NAN.

Paying for the fare from fiji.
 

These seem like amazing value at the moment. An AGLOB34 fare for $AUD8161 plus taxes. Anyone know the logistics of organising/paying this from a Fiji point of view?