Ticketing carrier for AONE3
 

Am about to book the following itinerary ex ICN:

ICN-HKG-CGK-HKG(transit)-LAX-MIA-PHX-ATL-MIA-MEX-LHR-MCT-LHR-HKG-ICN

As the first international carrier is CX must I ticket with CX or can I ticket with any Oneworld carrier?

Can I ticket in the UK but pay ICN price under the EU exception?

These questions have been well discussed already, but to save you time searching, yes and yes. The first carrier on your ticket is required to ticket, but any OW carrier can issue the ticket (or can refuse to issue it, their choice). Most will issue it if they fly a trans-oceanic leg. AA is usually the preferred ticket issuer if you have a choice.

number_6 is quite right. I would add that I use AA for these tickets for two reasons. First, the AA RTW desk is very easy to deal with. For example, as you may have read in other posts, I sometimes call them daily for weeks on end trying to get space on particular flights. They are never bothered by this. Second, AA's fuel surcharges, etc., tend to be less than those of some other carriers.

Given the OP has no AA transoceanic sectors, they might (but probably won't) balk. To forestall that, I'd try for the AA code on the CX HKG-LAX leg. (Actually since you're just transiting at HKG, CGK-xHKG-LAX could all be booked with AA numbers.)

Gardy's right on. Remember, col747uk, AA will, indeed, be interested in booking the CX flights as codeshares because such a booking results in a referral fee (read hard cash) from CX to AA. Of course, that works in reverse, too. CX usually lists much less availability in premium cabins for codeshares for the same reason.

I have similarly found Qantas very helpful in issuing and making changes to AONEX tickets.

No refereral fee. Instead AA buys the seat from CX as a normal codeshare, and sells the seat to you, getting the sector revenue from the OWE ticket. The Atlantic/Pacific sectors get a high percentage of each ticket (circa 20% though the exact number is a trade secret). Whether that is profitable for AA depends upon the terms of their codeshare agreement (so the profit margin varies with route; they may lose money on the CGK-HKG sector for example).

Different from the info I have, obviously. Out of curiosity, what's your source?

I spotted an issue for the op. For the returning flight LHR-HKG. I assume HKG is a transit only?? As u are only allowed 2 stopovers in Asia if start in Asia.

Correct - one of HKG CGK HKG must be a transit.