JacobP

Thanks for the reply John! Haven't found anyone having any success with the Jordanian travel agency route, though I'm looking into it. I do have a follow up question regarding this:

How exactly does this work? I thought the pricing was all based on segments/continents visited, so wouldn't changing that drastically run into similar problems? Or do you just mean once I have a ticket booked the oneworld people will let me add segments and reprice it with just the 125 change fee? Because if so, that does sound like a good deal. Thanks again!

JohnAx

Once you decide you want e.g. an AONE3 you can plan and book as simple a route as you wish. Then after you have flown at least one segment* your price is locked and you can change anything you want within the normal rules, and the cost will be $125 plus any additional taxes and fees that the added segments incur.

*I think "any" segment does the deed, but if it matters in your case, you should make sure (e.g. by asking here) that it's not the "first international/intercontinental segment".

The $125 is the handling fee for re-issuing a changed ticket, no matter how many changes. But if you make more changes another time, you'll pay it again. Changes that don't involve routing are always nominally free, although in the past some airlines have found ways to 'monetize' such events.

These days it seems that your changes will have to be made by the airline that issued your original ticket. I don't think that's a written rule, just general policy, and if your ticket is issued by AA, you'll be in good hands anyway.

[Aside, given the incredible service I got from AA's South African presence* a few months ago - highly professional, even priced the ticket in-house when they got tired of waiting for the rate desk, and certainly took a c/c over the phone - if no better alternative comes to hand I'd give them a call and see if they would do the ex-AMM. Downside is no email, 9-6 weekday hours.]

*they answer "American Airlines"; I don't know their formal relationship. When they issue a ticket it does show up on aa.com quickly.

You do want to make sure that your basic 'starter' route gets you out of AMM on RJ going the direction you intend to travel; my very uninformed guess is that if you haven't left the starting region (Europe/Middle East) you could actually change direction from east to west, but I suppose no one has actually tried that.

I also believe that you can add an additional continent later, for the difference in pricing between the two levels that was in effect when you bought the original ticket. That's also uninformed on my part, and probably seldom done. And once when I considered it, the AAgent's opinion was that I'd have to pay the current delta price, not the 'legacy' one.

jerry a. laska

If you have close friends and family in Jordan have you asked them to inquire around about a travel agent yet? They may be able to find one that will be receptive. Other people have reported that they have booked through Emeco (the AA GSA) in CAI. See this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...?highlight=cai


They (Mindpearl) are the official AA GSA for South Africa.

guilimacarv

This tool is making me crazy.

My painstakingly designed original itinerary was a LONE4: GIG-SCL-AKL-BNE-NOU-SYD-MNL-KUL-KTM-HKG-PEK-OVB-LBD-DME-GYD-LHR-GIG. I ran it through the website and after inputting my credit card details I got the dreaded 15012 error message. After reading this forum, I found out that this error occurs when the tool uses AA to book the ticket although the first flight is with another company (in this case, LAN).

I then redesigned the itinerary to get rid of this first LAN flight. In the process the itinerary became a LONE5 because I included the US, although had no original intention to visit the country in this trip. Of course the trip became more expensive, but I figured out it would be worth at least being able to book it. I had been trying to buy the RTW ticket for ages, and that was that.

So my itinerary 2.0 became GIG-DFW-HNL-SYD-NOU-BNE-AKL-KUL-KTM-HKG-PEK-OVB-LBD-DME-GYD-LHR-GIG. I ran it through the website and of course I faced another bug. This time the error message was:

We are having difficulty accepting the credit card details provided. Please validate and try again. This may be due to an invalid credit card type, in which case please provide another one (4613 - 201)

The credit card is indeed valid.

Now I don't know what to do. I want OneWorld to have my money but they seem unable to take it from me.

JohnAx

Have you tried my broken-record suggestion of a 4-segment itinerary? You'll waste $125 making the ticket what you really wanted, but at least you won't be wasting much typing getting to the point where the tool says 'get lost'.

guilimacarv

Hi JohnAx

After calling American I was told the tool is on maintenance, and it should be back on Monday (I surely hope the bugs are being fixed). I will try again on Monday, and case unsuccessful, I will book a simple itinerary and then change it afterwards.

For a ticket originating in South America I can make as many changes I want for USD 125, even before the first flight, correct?

Thanks,
Guilherme

JohnAx

None of the OW customer-use desktop software I've seen has ever been better than 'pitiful', so don't hold your breath. Good software can be expensive and the airlines have every incentive to do it on the cheap.

Regarding early changes to a South American ticket, is that a special rule? Ordinarily any [voluntary] change before first flight results in a ticket re-issue using new pricing and rules.

Starting in South America used to be expensive. Has anyone looked at starting in the Caribbean? North American pricing translated to the currency of the owning country?

ajnaro

Why don't you just call the AA around the world desk in the USA (use Skype for a free call) and book the entire rtw ticket over the phone? Years ago I actually booked one through the Brazil AA telephone service and it was issued (and, at that time, physically printed) in Rio. I never use the oneworld on-line booking tool for anything, even planning. It's just too unreliable and time consuming.

JohnAx

OW's RTW fares are supposed to be sold SITI - Sold In, Ticketed In [country where the trip starts]. If you call the AA RTW desk in the USA to buy (for example) a DONE4 starting in Cairo and expect to pay the Egyptian price equivalent to USD 6,701 plus fees and taxes you'll be very disappointed when the desk says you must pay USD 10,799 plus fees and taxes.

The time-honored work-around to the SITI rule used to involve finding a travel agent in Cairo (in my example) who would act as your agent to make the transaction at the local price. More recently OW is allowing their booking tool to play that role for you, although as is regularly mentioned, it doesn't play well.

ajnaro

All of the above is completely correct, as far as I know, except that I do all of my rtw booking over the phone with AA in the USA and ask them to price it in local currency. I then go to my travel agent or the AA office in the starting country and purchase the ticket. I very seldom happen to be in the starting country while planning, but I'm always there for ticketing and, of course, to take the first leg.

allset2travel

Completed a RTW itinerary online. The online tool validated and priced it. When I clicked “Proceed to Booking”, it went into an endless loop. The twinkling circle kept on going to eternity! As I posted this message, 20 minutes had gone by! Grrrr!

pandaperth

Just tried this with an itinerary I have saved in the tool
took about 30secs from clicking "Proceed to Booking" to getting the next screen

Which airline is doing your ticketing?
(For my itinerary it is AA, so the "Proceed to Booking" takes me to americanairlines.eu.amadeus.com)

skunker

Check your pop-up blocker and other security settings. As pandaperth points out it should direct you to another website which you could inadvertently be blocking.

JohnAx

Good suggestions, plus the browser itself might be the problem unless it's mainstream and current. IE isn't my first choice, but when all else fails I try it and sometimes it solves the problem.

allset2travel

Panthaperth,
Thanks for the heads-up.
I tried 2 itins, one with CX and one with AA as ticketing airlines. Same never ending loop!

Skunker,
I tried 3 different browsers and cleared blockers to no avail!
Thanks anyway.

Here I have another problem: tried to select flight SCL-LAX for Feb & Mar. No LA600 show up at all. All flight with routing via DFW or MIA. The oneworld timetable shows the flight, but not the TOOL.