I'm trying to plan a xONEx using the oneworld Itinerary Planner. I've read through the rule sheet and think I understand but some things don't seem to work so if anyone can clarify that'd be great.

From the rules:

4(c)

Travel may originate at any point for which fares are published and must terminate at the same point, except that origin-destination surface segments are permitted as follows (a) within the country of origin

4(h)

A minimum of 3 and maximum of 16 segments, including surface segments between any 2 airports, are permitted for the entire journey.

Problem 1

In 4(c) is the origin-destination surface segment counted as one of the flight segments?

If I have my itinerary leaving LGW and arriving LHR and using all 16 segments then the planner says that's okay. This implies either that it recognises LON as a citywide airport code or that I can go between my origin and destination in the same country without using a segment. However, if I do my final flight going into MAN (still leaving from LGW) then the planner tells me the journey is not complete, i.e. I have to count the origin to destination segment as one of my 16 (all of which I've used).

Problem 2

In 4(h) does it literally mean any 2 airports? i.e. there are no city-wide airport codes recognised such as NYC or LON?

In my first question it appears to recgonise LON. However, in my itinerary I've also got a flight JFK-ORD which I have to have at 1700 because there's only one per day from JFK. If I could go from LGA I have a choice of 17 flights which is obviously much better. But when I put that in the itinerary planner it says I need to use an extra segment (to get from JFK to LGA), i.e. not recognising the NYC code.

So is it a bug in the planner that the system isn't recognising citywide airport codes or is that correct? (In the xONEx FAQs on FT it says this is the situation but the post in question is from 2004 - can't spot anything saying it has changed though ). I know *A lists airports that count as one for their RTW fares but I can't see anything like that for OW. It's also creating a problem for me in Japan where most domestic flights don't leave from NRT which I fly into - it seems mad that they wouldn't recognise citywide codes

And, depending on what the answer to that question is, it'll answer the first problem hopefully! If it doesn't recognise the LON code then I really am baffled as to why it won't let me fly into MAN. Using a flight segment to get from MAN to LON when they're destination and origin also seems ludicrous (especially as seeing as I won't do it.... otherwise I'd fly into London!)

Also, is there somewhere that lists (or has someone compiled a list) which are the cheapest locations to fly from on an xONEx fares? Going through dozens of countries on the OW website seems a very inefficient way of finding out the cheapest origin!

Thanks for all your help.

On an xONEx I booked with AA earlier this year, I had arrivals/departures into LHR/LGW. Theye did count as surface segments. Note that both were taxed as LON transits - i.e. no APD was assessed.

4(c) these generally do not count as one of your 16 segments.

Serfty,you need to go to bed! What does "Note that bother were tax as LON transits" mean???

LGW/LHR vv or JFK/LGA vv mid trip will use up a segment. This has been the case for a while (but did not apply back in 2004).


Check out the linked spreadsheets in the sticky OW useful reference links (under RTW section). Note that some currencies have been rather volatile lately so the information may be out of date, or may change again between now and when you ticket.

As per posts above common city codes are not allowed. For example LHR -LGW in the middle of itinerary counts as a segment, but starting in LHR and ending at LGW is OK.

As for the MAN problem it may be counting as stopover or a 5th segment. Can only have 2 stopovers and 4 segments in the continent of origin. Land trips between airports count as segment. Put your itinerary in Mileage Monkey to see if checks out OK. MM is very close to being correct (see this thread)

"Note that both were taxed as LON transits - i.e. no APD was assessed."

While ground segments between LGW and LHR count as on of the permitted 16 xONEx segments, if it's done without going over 24 hours it counts as a transit for tax purposes, not a stopover.

It certainly used to work that you could get the ticket issued with OPEN dated segments in and out of LHR/LGW using the city code LON and make the reservations separately. I have done this previously through NYC and WAS; I haven't tried this in the "surface segments count" days, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

That's 4 flight segments; land segments only count towards the 16 total allowed, but not towards the flight segments allowed per continent. Therefore the final MAN-LGW land segment will not be counted as a 5th flight segment. I expect it's merely a bug in the very buggy itinerary planner on the OW web site.

Note also that the rule is NOT "4 segments in the continent of origin", it is more like "4 flight segments per continent, except for Nth America where 6 are allowed". The rule is 4(h) here

With regard to the 2 stopovers in continent of origin rule (which is Note 1 to rule 8 here), I've never heard of the final detination being counted as a stopover, and I'm pretty sure other FT'ers have had itineraries where they had two stopovers AND a final destination different from the origin.
I booked without problem (but didn't proceed with) an itinerary that had:
MEL-xSYD-intercontinental segments-xSYD-oPER-oCBR-PER

To summarize:

Problem 1: The rules say that you end anywhere in the originating country. MAN is fine starting out from LGW. If the itinerary planner says otherwise, it's wrong. (And any theoretical final surface segment doesn't count towards your 16.)

Problem 2: You're right. Codes such as LON are no longer permitted. The OneWorld itinerary planner was, I suspect, originally written before this rule came into force, and hence tends to ignore the new rule.

Overall, I personally finalized all my RTW planning using MileageMonkey & have always recommended others to do the same.

The members of this board would, I'm sure, welcome a look at your suggested itinerary. We can often make beneficial suggestions for achieving more miles or TPs or whatever. Obviously it helps if you say what aspect you would like to be optimized.

Your evidence for that assertion?

(a) The wording for rule 4(h) as per the OP & the OW website.

(b) The change in wording between your own OWE1Dec07.xls (cell C29) and OWE1Aug08.xls, where the words "including surface segments n surface segments between 2 airports" were introduced. (Not sure where the 'n' came from.) I only have a copy of the *file from Dec07, so can't readily see how that has changed, but would expect to find an equivalent modification, based on the other changes.

My best guess is that this is something forced on the system by e-ticketing. You might be able to get a ticketing agent to substitute plain London for London Heathrow on a paper ticket, but I know that Cindy @ MindPearl has written London Heathrow in full on mine. She also specified St Lucia (UVF) as there is also St Lucia (SCL) and AA flies to both of them.

Your assertion doesn't follow from those in my logic system (although obviously it is consistent with them). Anyone have any real experience of trying to get city codes on an open-dated paper ticket since the rule chnages?

Hi guys. Thanks very much for all your help with my queries. I'll use MileageMonkey to check things. I guess plenty of people have ranted about the annoyance of not being able to use all the airports in New York, London or wherever without using a segment to get between them. I hadn't realised that a land segment only counted towards the total of 16 and not to the limit per continent so that's great news Might well be back soon with another question!