In good old days, there was ONE big difference.
XONEWCn didn't have the upper limit of the number of segments.
So, I planned 30+ segments DONEWC3 ex-Japan.

No segment limit? Did they issue multiple ticket books? How does that work?

Well, back in the days of paper tickets, there were lots of multiple ticket itineraries. The largest paper ticket booklet accommodated four flight segments.

Each "ticket" can accommodate up to 4 sectors.
http://www.jaunted.com/files/3873/Plane_Ticket.jpg
The old paper tickets had a page in a booklet for each sector.
That 4 sector ticket is assigned a single ticket number, eg 001-*97992*342
Tickets can be linked together into a single booking, leading to ticket numbers such as 001-*97992*342-43.
Current IATA e-ticket rules limit it to 4 linked tickets - ie, 16 sectors. (eg 081-4*6850*3443-46)
Paper tickets had no such official limit.

Yes, OK, I understand that

but what did the DONEWC3 fare rules allow back then?
there would be three inter-continental flights
and what - no limit on intra-continent flights?
sounds like you had 27+ such flights spread between three continents

I have come across information these original *O fare products had no segment limitation.

By the time I booked my first in 2005, the limit was 20 and I received 5 booklets stapled together from CX in CMB.

There was no overall defined segment limit but there was a limit of ? 4-5 free segments per continent (? 6 in North America) and possibility of purchasing ? 2 extra segments ? per continent meaning an xONE6 had an effective limit of somewhere around 32- 36 segments plus extra purchased segments.

An interesting thread from the early days of Flyertalk with a 35 segment itinerary listed on page 3 -

Those were the days my friend,
I wished they'd never end ,
We'd fly and stay forever and a day,
We'd fly the flights we choose,
So much our butts would bruise,
We were young and sure to fly our way

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...orer-fare.html

In old days XONEWCn, unlimited segments per continent.
You didn't have to purchase extra segments.
Only limiting factors were flying only once between a pair of airports per direction, and 2 STOPOVERS per continent (e.g. loophole).

In my old DONEWC3(ex-NRT), European part consisted of 7 segments like
JNB-xLHR-xAMS-xLHR-FRA-xLHR-xHEL-xLHR-CDG-HKG
O.K, I didn't have enough time to add xLHR-xDXB-xLHR-xFCO-xLHR.

Furthermore, in that time, there was no fuel surcharge.
So, XONEWCn was the best mileage run ticket.

The only reference from the early days that I can find is one in whom I have 100% confidence - me :p and my former self suggests otherwise (unless you have a reference pre-1999):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...rer-fares.html

Abridged version:

FARE: RTW QF/ONEW4

GENERAL CONDITION: RWQF1W4


Code Description
Departure City ADELAIDE BRISBANE CAIRNS MELBOURNE PERTH SYDNEY


Airline QANTAS AIRWAYS/BRITISH AIRWAYS/AMERICAN AIRLINES
/CANADIAN AIRLINES/CATHAY PACIFIC/FINNAIR/IBERIA
*THIS IS THE ONEWORLD EXPLORER-4 CONTINENTS FARE


Fares Updated 31 AUGUST 1999 (SM)






Stopovers 1)THREE FREE STOPOVERS ARE PERMITTED IN EACH OF
THE MAXIMUM F O U R CONTINENTS VISITED
OTHER THAN THAT OF COMMENCEMENT OF TRAVEL.
2)ONE FREE STOPOVER IS PERMITTED AT INTERCONT'L
DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL GATEWAY IN THE CONTINENT
OF COMMENCEMENT OF TRAVEL.
3)UNLIMITED ADDITIONAL FLIGHT SEGMENTS(EXCEPT IN
CONTINENT OF COMMENCEMENT) MAY BE PURCHASED TO
ALLOW ADDITIONAL STOPOVERS WITHIN A CONTINENT
AT AUD160/ECONOMY CLASS P E R FLIGHT SEGMENT


Notes * THIS IS THE QANTAS AIRWAYS"ONEWORLD F O U R
CONTINENTS" PUBLISHED FARE -





Routings A)RTW/CIRCLE TRIPS/OJ - VIA QF/BA/AA/AY/CX/CP/IB
/DI/IJ O P E R A T E D SERVICES ONLY.
B)TRANSFERS: UNLIMITED ONLINE/INTERLINE BETWEEN
QF/BA/AA/AY/CP/CX/DI/IB/IJ IS PERMITTED
SUBJECT TO A L L SECTOR/ROUTING RESTRICTIONS.
C)MAXIMUM F O U R CONTINENTS MAY BE VISITED
- WITH ONLY O N E INTERCONTINENTAL DEPARTURE
AND ARRIVAL PERMITTED FROM/IN EACH CONTINENT.
*NOTE: CIRCLE PACIFIC TRIP COMPRISING TWO
TRANSPACIFIC FLTS ARE N O T PERMITTED.
D)FREE SECTORS ARE LIMITED WITHIN EACH CONTINENT
AS FOLLOWS AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE MAXIMUM
STOPOVER ALLOWANCES. WHEN THE STOPOVER MAXIMUM
HAS BEEN REACHED ANY REMAINING USED FLIGHT
SEGMENTS SHALL BE FORFEITED -
1)4 SECTORS: EUROPE AND MIDDLE EAST WITH N O
MORE THAN 2 OF WHICH MAY BE TO/FROM MID.EAST
2)4 SECTORS: AFRICA/STH.WEST PACIFIC/STH.AMER.
3)6 SECTORS: NORTH AMERICA.
4)5 SECTORS: ASIA.
E)UNLIMITED ADDITIONAL FLIGHT SEGMENTS MAY BE
PURCHASED AT AUD160 EACH


Suggested Route 4 CONTINENTS: SYD/JNB/LON/YYZ/CHI/LAX/SYD





Fare Basis ECONOMY: M*ONEW4 (* = ADD SEASONALITY)





Rules copied from www.travel.com.au website

Your reference describes about XONEX, not XONEWCX.

See
http://www.jeah.net/~markdu/OWFiles/....09052002.html
(not pre-1999, but 2002).

I could obfuscate and point out that this thread is about xONEx fares but will instead yield and claim confusion caused by Xs and asterixes! :eek: At least I was motivated to review some of the threads from the early days of Flyertalk and still submit that those were the days

drifting ... FT taught me that it is perfectly normal to go to work in SYD on Monday morning, leave early and catch the arvo flight to BKK, buy a cheap RTW and hop on the Tuesday evening flight back to SYD - ready to start work again on Wednesday morning (all be it somewhat tired). Made for interesting times in the tea room when people asked "where were you yesterday?"

Is that your ticket? Recent? I don't see an issue date (year). Is it still possible to get paper tickets?? I've always preferred them; find them much easier to use.

Top Right: 13DEC06

Also, bottom centre "421" indicates issued by S7 (Siberia Airlines)

I too preferred paper tickets
(Ah - nostalgia isn't what it used to be;))

Now I wonder - just what did Himeno get up to when had his mid-winter break from Novosibirsk in Bangkok back in '06?

Paper tickets were great until you got 4 books of tickets (or more) as part of a huge trip. Their bulk and security was painful.

Even more painful was my experience after keeping my tickets and passport in the Oz Govt supplied plastic wallet on a trip in hot and humid Asia - only to discover a pulpy mess where rain, sweat and heat had made the tickets unreadable and impossible to open up.

E tickets are far more convenient but I miss the paper books as they were great souvenirs.