xONEx book through web or Mindpearl?
 

I'm about to book my first xONEx ticket! Question for all the experts. Would it be better to book online (which to my newbie eyes seems to be booking through CX) or go w/ Mindpearl directly in SA. Here's also a list of taxes/surcharges - does this look accurate? Could I save by going w/ AA instead of CX? Can I make that choice online?

Tax description unavailable (WCTR) 120.00 ZAR
Thailand Passenger Service Charge 208.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (ITEB) 69.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (HHGO) 243.00 ZAR
Australian Passenger Service Charge 313.00 ZAR
Multiple Surcharges 2,100.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (DYAE) 153.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (ZAEB) 133.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (WGSE) 36.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QRAS) 13.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QREM) 31.00 ZAR
Airline Fuel Surcharge 4,469.00 ZAR
Hong Kong Air Passenger Departure Tax 160.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QODP) 102.00 ZAR
Airline Insurance Surcharge 174.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (JDAE) 71.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (EXAE) 28.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (JEEB) 14.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (HBCO) 61.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QREB) 109.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (TQSE) 26.00 ZAR
UK Air Passenger Duty 721.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QVDP) 25.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (VTSE) 24.00 ZAR
UK Passenger Service Charge 306.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QRCA) 24.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (QRCO) 109.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (MUAD) 174.00 ZAR
Australia Passenger Movement Charge 322.00 ZAR
Tax description unavailable (EVAB) 10.00 ZAR
10,348.00 ZAR

Seems like a lot of tax/surcharge for a ticket base of 25,000 ZAR.
Wait until Feb. 1st???

Basically I think you'd lose the Airline Fuel Surcharges by going with Mindpearl.

Agree on that, substantial amount.


As already some threads have revealed a 10% discount is scheduled for Feb 1. So far no verification an rate increase same date, but that would have a bad impact, IMHO not realistic.

Good luck with Your RTW ticket and travel!

I'd say that it depends on your itinerary. I do four of these/year, and always arrange through the AA RTW desk. Without exception, I have found them great to deal with. Then, once the rezzy is just as I want it, I have the fare stored in ZAR and contact Mindpearl for ticketing only. If you start in South Africa, your options are somewhat reduced. I go there only to start the next xONEx itinerary.

That, of course, is all changing, as South Africa is no longer the least costly. IIRC, I believe that South Korea is now the place to buy (I buy AONE4s from Mindpearl, but will need only AONE3s from South Korea).

Also, if there's anything more than a token price increase, I'll probably change to the SQ-only RTW, which is around US$7,000, I think.

current xONEx pricing (w/o taxes etc) in US$
 

the cheapest point for booking/departure currently varies somewhat based on the class and # of continents

before figuring in taxes and fuel charges, at US$ using today's exchange rates:

LONE3: S. Korea@2106, Pakistan@2116, Sweden@2198
DONE3: S. Korea@4122, Pakistan@4781, Sweden@5311
AONE3: S. Korea@6439, Pakistan@8170, Indonesia@8198
LONE4: S. Africa@2190, S. Korea@2528, Pakistan@2541
DONE4: S. Africa@4823, S. Korea@4913, Pakistan@5383
AONE4: S. Korea@7322, S. Africa@7325, Pakistan@9107
LONE5: S. Africa@2512, Mauritius@2759, S. Korea@2907
DONE5: S. Africa@5546, S. Korea@5647, Pakistan@6192
AONE5: S. Korea@8413, S. Africa@8420, Mauritius@10474
LONE6: S. Africa@2954, Mauritius@3237, S. Korea@3343
DONE6: S. Korea@6371, S. Africa@6521, Pakistan@7120
AONE6: S. Korea@9675, S. Africa@9877, Pakistan@11691

HTH,
benzguy80

Many thanks for that helpful update. ^^^^^

Will be of great value for many of us planning new RTWs (before beginning one already ticketed :D)

Actually the UK is a better place to originate for LONEx's.
Fares in US$ are:
LONE3 1971, LONE4 2263, LONE5 2787, LONE6 3137

Excellent info, benzguy.

There are 3 continents products from S.Africa
LONEWC3/DONEWC3/AONEWC3: 1926/4275/6437 USD

Could someone list optimum starting points and prices for each type of ticket and each starting continent? Like:
LONE3 from EMEA = U.K.
DONE3 from Africa = South Africa
AONE4 from Asia = South Korea
...
It may be very useful to know these start points for all continents.
J.

But whats the point in that if the cost of getting THERE outweighs the savings?

Pretty often the tickets within the continent are very cheap compared to the price of RTW ticket. And also when you know the minimum, and your local price is $100 more, you know that you can't really optimize it any more.

FTers are based pretty much everywhere, and many of us have unused tickets or parts of tickets to all sorts of places. What is expensive to get to for you may not be for someone else.

I see no difference in JanoS suggestion and the usual lists of fares by origin. Some people can use the info, and others cannot.