Thanks for resuming your helpful responses. Several weeks ago (posting #29) I asked how the "Canada exception" works when one deals directly with the airlines rather than a Canadian travel agent. Phone calls to AA, BA and CX do not provide any answers so I'm hoping that the OneWorld central team can clarify it. Can you explain if this is doable?

ReelChief from oneworld4u: Our fares experts advise: It doesn't matter where the reservations are made, what counts is where the ticket is issued. So if a ticket is issued in Canada, regardless of where the travel begins, the fare that will apply is the fare from the country of origin, without need to raise it to the Canada level.

Ooh, question!

Can I combine RTW/Multi-continent/Single-continent fares?

If I wanted to visit Sydney, Hong Kong, and various places within Japan, can I combine Circle Pacific and Visit Japan? For example let's say I book a Circle Pacific ticket (LAX-SYD-HKG-NRT-LAX). Since I enter Japan at NRT, can I also book a Visit Japan (HND-CTS-ITM-OKA-HND) at the same time upon booking? Will these count as two separate oneworld ticketing, or will it all be on one itinerary?

The reason I ask is because on a Circle Pacific ticket, the rules state that only one stopover is allowed in a country. An additional stopover could be added for USD 75 each, but it has to be from bought not from my country of origin.


I guess the side question can also be asked if a person travelling on a OW RTW fare can also be added on with a Visit Europe. Will the total segments allowed still be 20 (16 after 6/1) or 20 + whatever you wish to book in VE?


And one last question: Can Visit____ fares or Multi-continent fares be applicable even while on award travels?

The official rule about Reservations and RTW fares reads as follows:

Yes, any oneworld airline can, but what if they won't? Several airlines refuse at times to issue these tickets, often arguing they are not the first carrier.

Can oneworld4u clarify this for us?

oneworld4u - Thank you so much for taking the time and interest to answer these questions. If we ever meet up somewhere, I will definitely buy you a beer!

As to the availability of award seats for frequent flyers from related airlines, I do have to say that Cathay is very bad about freeing up award seats to AA that it otherwise makes available to its own members. It has happened to me before, and I am now, again, having a heck of a time scheduling a OW award (331 days out because the availability that I see on Cathay's web site does not translate into AA availability!). This is compounded by the fact that AA has now reduced the hold times on their OW awards from two weeks to five days. Is this a OW-wide change? How is someone supposed to schedule a ticket that far in advance with such a short hold time?

Certainly I also echo the sentiment already expressed here as well that if everything worked as you say it should, then the fact that we had a level playing field would create a lot of goodwill. The other missing piece and I do understand that it is a system limitation, is the inability of AA to book inventory more than 331 days out. Is there a move to standardize the inventory availability?

Thank you again.

Oneworld4u
Thank you!!! I appreciate knowing that someone from "Corporate" is at least listening. I am EXP approaching 5-million miles who has booked at least 8 RTW tickets, and I love the product. But here are some observations:

1) The xONEx keeps becoming less flexible: Max 20-> max 16. Ground segments count against total segments.
With OW mileage-based award travel (such as OW130), award mileage now is total of point-to-point stopovers. But soon it will become total miles flown, another devaluation of your product.

2) Award availability on partners is not shared equally. Another member noted Cathay's web site does not translate into AA availability! Same with Qantas. If I go to QF web site, I can see availability for award travel on certain flights; but if I call AA, there is no award availability for the same flights. From what you say, this is a clear violation of OW rules -- and easily verifiable in 5 minutes.

3) In general, most of the "enhancements" to your products are restrictive and devaluations of the products. Even the e-ticket conversion (great since you can't lose it like a paper ticket) comes with a 25% DECREASE in # of segments available -- with no 25% DECREASE in price. The explanation that it is a "computer limitation" is erroneous and a deflection. As another poster has pointed out, linked PNR's overcome this & will soon be mandated anyway, right? Don't put lipstick on that pig! We all suspect corporate just wants to generate more revenue per segment, right?

But thanks for tiptoeing into this lions' den. I really appreciate your efforts & hearing your thoughts.

I have no comment on the point you are making, but for the sake of accuracy, going from 16 to 20 is a 25% increase, but going from 20 to 16 is only a 20% decrease.

This is a complaint better lodged with AA, not Oneworld.

Hi, I have a question about lounge access. I am well familiar with the OW rules about it, however, what does OW define as an itinerary? The rules state:
and then theres our crappy AA exception clause:
My itinerary is LHR-LAX on one ticket. Wait of 6 hours and then LAX-YYZ on another ticket. Economy on the LHR-LAX flight. Does this get me in the door of the Admirals Club in LAX? Thanks.

I would suggest that this is a question for AA not OW as it is an AA restriction not a OW one.

Another lounge access quesiton.

I just procurred an award ticket for a friend of mine who does not have status, but it is an international First Class award. He is meeting me in Asia, so we are not on the same itinerary. He will be departing DFW for NRT in AA First Class on Dec 10; he arrives in NRT of the Dec 11 and has a layover of 2 hours until he boards his CX flight currently booked in Economy Class (no J award seats available at this time). Can he use the CX First Class Lounge?

The underlying question here: TIA for your help.

My opinion is that access is based on the class of the longhaul intercontinental flight your friend is connecting from, so he/she would be entitled to access the HKG FC lounge.

I never did see an answer to the 'co-terminal' question, so forgive me if this is a duplicate.

Q: Is there a specific definition in the OWE rules of "point of origin"?

I can't find one anywhere and it seems it is a key point for determining if some routings are valid.

E.g. SFO-LHR-SIN-LAX-SJC-AUS-SJC,(SFO). By my reading of the rules, this is valid. It passes the OWE Itin Planner as valid - so it should be OK.
Of course, the OWE Itin Planner also currently allows 20 segments, so I don't know how much faith to put in its results for post June planning.

mt

Yes, the ability to use co-terminal needs some clarification on the HP. So far the only "valid co-terminal" options that we see are the ones listed on AA.com:
http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...orld_rules.jsp

Others just show "see IATA Air Tariff" but googling that gets us the run around.

Is there a reliable list that we can refer to for co-terminal options?



Examples:

The more obvious ones are of course listed on the link above.

But how about GMP and ICN? JL flies HND-GMP and NRT-ICN (HND and NRT are also co-terminals). Is it possible to fly HND-GMP=ICN-NRT without GMP=ICN being considered as a segment?

Same with SHA and PVG - is it okay to fly HND-SHA=PVG-NRT without SHA=PVG counting as a segment?

I'm sure there are more of these that people can come up with (i.e. UKB=ITM=KIX is also possible?)

Since he is travelling in economy class , he does not seem to have access by virtue of class of travel unless CX decide to allow him in as an exception


Since the economy connection is neither domestic nor intra-European, I do not see that he would be entitled

Dave