MRU-LHR is not too expensive one way in J if you end up needing to buy a ticket.

That said, we've hedged our bets a bit - we're positioning with an Amex 2-4-1return LHR-MRU,JNB-LHR

The ex-MRU RTW finishes with SYD-JNB which both saves us a segment (and BA fuel tax!) and avoids the JNB-MRU in 'J' which is poor from a scheduling point of view.

If the ZAR continues to tank then we may start again ex-JNB next year but at least we have our returns locked in if we need them!

Very interesting - about 22% of the recipricol BA trip.

Certainly food for thought....and ending in DAR I can return to my orginal idea of travelling eastbound and spending next Christmas in the Far East. Like you, I'd prefer DAR in Club to NBO in First.

I'm now thinking of a reshuffle for an ex-CPT AONE4 through AA and an ex-DAR AONE4 (more expensive but allowing me to take advantage of what a RTW can really offer).

So Plan C is:

CPT-LHR-DXB-LHR-SIN-NRT-BKK-HKG-JFK-BGI-JFK-MBJ-JFK-BDA-JFK-xLHR-DAR - split into 7 trips between September 2008 and June 2009.

DAR-LHR-BAH-LHR-LAX-CUN-LAX-JFK-BGI-JFK-SYD-PER-ADL-MEL-SYD-JNB-MRU - split into 5 trips between October 2009 and May 2010, by which time the Mauritian rupee will have probably reached parity with the �.

These involve 7 payable returns to the UK, for which I will use a combination of GUF2s and MFUs.

Wouldn't an AONE ex-DAR cost considerable more than ex-CPT?

F is not too costly either - also if you want to add on a domestic (for the TPs) - MRU-LHR-EDI for example - then the fare goes up by about 1 pound! (according to KVS)

Good point! �530 each one way business class on SAA DAR-CPT as opposed to �1800 more each on the base tickets.

Well, if you're only on Plan C, there's still a lot of revision to do .... (My recently ticketed AONE5 reached Plan F, but that's in hex, starting from Plan 1, meaning version 15!)

FWIW:

CPT-xLHR-CAI-xLHR-GVA-xLHR-SYD-CBR-PER-SYD-BKK-CMB-SIN-NRT-HKG-JFK-UVF-JFK-LAX-xLHR-DAR

Lots of personal stuff in there, family in CBR, love Sri Lanka (lived at CMB, ex-RAF Negombo, as a kid), flew out of Changi in '53 when it was still grass with perf. steel, etc. Side trips, such as LAX <> SFO and second SYD <> CBR will also be done. I prefer SFO to LAX, but couldn't get AA interested as there's no AA flight SFO-LHR.

Part of the plan is to be in CBR in December 2009 for my mother's 90th, with earlier urgent departure also possible. Positioning GVA-CPT, return DAR-GVA & intermediate BKK-GVA & v/v (Dec 2009 / Jan 2010) on award tickets, using *A for BKK<>GVA as I have the necessary LH miles. (Awards in Business need lots of advance planning - Thanks KVS.)

Total cost on c/card: USD 9,432 including 1% VISA currency conversion charge. Paper ticket. AA codeshare on CX trans-Pacific, AA from LAX to LHR.

So was mine, my 11th revision.

I realise you were sourcing your ticket from AA - any reason why you couldn't travel SFO (I agree much better than LAX) to LHR by BA?

This is no longer the case -- LAX-LHR on BA is consistently much better than SFO-LHR now. The new TBIT lounge is far better than the SFO BA lounge (which is very shoddily run), and the onboard service tends to be considerably better (BA feels the pressure from all the other premium airlines on the LAX-LHR route, such as NZ, while there is no competition from SFO). I used to use SFO all the time instead of LAX, but now it is no contest, LAX is better by every measure.

AA (MindPearl) in CPT were not willing to ticket with the trans-Atlantic segment on BA. "I've verified the itinerary with my Sales Manager and he confirmed, that as the transatlantic is on British Airways, they will need to issue the ticket."

In answer to number_6, my preference for SFO doesn't relate to the flight but to northern California as a tourist destination compared with southern California. This is, of course, subjective, and I wouldn't like to get into any arguments as to the relative merits of each.

To insist on AA being used over at least one of the oceans is a fairly common approach by GSAs, but the Sales Manager answer is somewhat misleading. A more accurate response would have been "...as the transatlantic is on British Airways, we can't/won't issue the ticket."

The OW rule is that the airline flying the first international sector on OWE must ticket; other airlines may ticket, at their option, but cannot be forced to ticket. AA typically will ticket as long as it gets some revenue, which means either trans-pacific or trans-atlantic. This includes AA codeshare on CX (HKG-USA) or QF (Oz-USA), so you can accomplish the AA ticketing without actually flying AA longhaul.

There really is no contest, the nice parts of CA are north of SF for the most part. But driving is interesting everywhere and not that expensive (even with current gas prices), so starting at LA or SF doesn't really affect the touring itin very much (only a day's drive between the 2, in any case). However on FT we care more about airports than the cities around them.

This is not what the AA GSA in CPT told me. It was specifically said that if the transatlantic was not on AA they weren't wouldn't play ball.

It's intriguing how the OW players have carved up the SA market: BA and CX will only issue if your first intercontinental flight is with them; AA only if you choose them for transatlantic (presumably because you have shown some loyalty over BA on that sector?).

Be that as it may, if these are indeed the "rules", I wish that OW would put them in the effing official rules. They create the impression that you can just rock up to any OW office and, hey presto, they will issue your xONEx. Why should everyone who isn't an avid reader of FT have to find out by trial and error who is willing to issue their ticket!

The AA GSA in CPT wasn't prepared to ticket with only the trans-Pacific on AA (as well as my North American AA segments), as indicated by the e-mail I quoted. I guess, at the moment, South Africa is especially popular for OW RTWs, MindPearl are ultra-busy and can afford to take this approach.

The perspective on TBIT @ LAX v BA @ SFO is extremely valuable. My routing probably doesn't take me that way until Feb. 2010, but it sounds something to be looking forward to. I killed several hours there on my way to SYD back in 2002 (as OW Emerald) and it was OK but not out of the ordinary. I guess the refurbishment has seen significant improvements.

I, too, would like to see something in writing about this "rule".