How long ago did you visit TLV? I went last year and they no longer stamp passports, instead they scan the passport and give you a credit-card-sized piece of paper that has the passport scan and the date of entry and the validation period. (I also went the year before that, and they did stamp passports.)

Perhaps you want to end in TLV? It's one of the longer ex-LHR flights on BA that's still within the continent.

No, no. My post was misleading and you were right to correct it.

I'm now regretting cancelling my BRG Hyatt reservation in JED. However, I think my issue with JED has now become a matter of the EY schedule change on my AA award. I can no longer make the connection at AUH for the onward flight to PEK, meaning I would need to overnight in AUH, thereby losing another night of travel. As a result, I think JED may have to be struck from the list of options.

I have heard that Israel does do some kind of off-passport stamp these days but I went to TLV in December 2010 and there's a great big red stamp noting such in my passport.

I've had another quick look at Oman. There was no mention of an Israeli stamp being an issue. The downside is the flight from LHR arrives at close to 10pm and the only flight I could get with EY would leave at 11am on the second day, meaning only one full day in MCT which may well be a waste. But still, it's something to look at.

I read your post to suggest that if I was to make the change now, with about six sectors to go, the taxes would be reassessed not only on LHR-wherever but also on all the unflown sectors. I was speculating that taxes would have risen ticketing. However, I'll still ask the RTW desk what I'll be up for if I was to make the change now. Of course, I need to determine a destination first! I paid the UK APD in April this year.

I was in TLV in 2010 and have a stamp to show the world. I have no real desire to go back to TLV and even if I did I would come unstuck with my award connection to AUH - EY does not fly to TLV.

At this stage I think my options are MCT and KWI. I could also avoid much of the drama and simply spend the two nights in London instead of JED, then just fly to DOH or DXB and go from there.

Many thanks for all the tips and advice.

Firstly, a big apology. I have posted my recent query in the wrong thread. They should have been in the FAQ thread. That's a big mistake on part. It's a bug-bear of mine when threads go off-topic and now I've done it. I've alerted the moderators and asked that my post and everyone's advice be moved to the FAQ thread. Until that happens . . .

Secondly, I've managed to speak to the AA RTW desk.

In addition to the USD125 re-route fee I'd be up for and additional USD674.94 in taxes for KWI which seems huge.

Two important points. First, my ticket involved an involuntary re-route that resulted in CX becoming involved with my AA ticket. As a result, AA can't see that I've actually paid the UK APD or whatever the appropriate taxes are for a stopover in LHR, rather than a transit. Therefore, the above amounts included "about $300" for these UK taxes that I have actually paid. But even at about USD370 the taxes for KWI seem ridiculous. But, second, as Calchas suggested, AA said the taxes are re-assessed on all remaining unflown sectors, not just the one final sector I'm flying. Therefore, maybe the USD370-odd is not just KWI taxes but increased taxes on the five remaining sectors I have.

I was on the phone to AA for well over an hour and that's with my call initially being answered very quickly. The rates desk clearly has a complicated job. The RTW agent I spoke with was kind of reluctant to get me "quotes" on the taxes and I can see why. That said, it would be stupid of AA or any airline to expect a passenger with flexible plans to just say 'Go with x city, whatever the taxes are, and I'll pay them'. I have a choice of a few cities so I'm going to favour one with low taxes.

Finally, while waiting for the RTW desk to contact the rates desk I looked up KWI on Wikivoyage. In big letters: "Entry will be refused to citizens of Israel and to those who show stamps and/or visas from Israel". However, I called the Kuwait Embassy in Canberra this morning and the lady I spoke with says it's no issue for an Australian passport holder. I would feel better if that was written somewhere so I'll have a look in the trip report thread.

Good point. The taxes do seem ridiculously high.

Thanks for checking the numbers. I might give CX a call and see what they quote. Yes, it's Business.

Many thanks for that. It would seem KWI is the winner. Now I just have to talk to EY and see about award space between KWI and AUH.

I'll report back after I've spoken with CX and AA again.

Get a full break down of the taxes and see what is going on.

My money is on fuel surcharges—or a mistake.

Also—thanks for posting back, often we get questions and never know the answer.

All done. KWI it is.

As a result of the debacle that ensued with my ticket over a six week period earlier this year following my involuntary re-route (which involved me wrongly being denied boarding in LAX earlier this month because AA believed I hadn't paid the UK taxes), AA waived the change fee. As pandaperth suggested, the taxes were the same for LHR-KWI as they were LHR-JED. Because of this waiver I regrettably can't offer anything more definitive on whether taxes are reassessed on only the changed sector or on the entirety of the remaining itinerary. In that respect all I have is noted above and commensurate with what Calchas notes: taxes are reassessed on all remaining flights.

Thank you all for your help with this one. It's all worked out in the end.

Also a bug-bear of mine when people seek assistance but don't report back.

Brilliant, enjoy!

OSI = Other Service Information
YY = All Airlines
OW RTW = OneWorld Round The World

This will stop auto cancellation by individual airline systems based on their ticketing time limits for bookings in L, D and A Class.

Thanks. Interesting that the abbreviation is RTW not ATW. I know we FTers always call it RTW, but when I call the AA RTW desk, the agents there refer to it as ATW.

It is called "round the world" on the oneworld website, hence "RTW".
AA calls it "around the world".

The ticket I got issued the other day had a number of delays in the issue process, mostly due to CX wanting new passport details (and delays at the passport office in issuing my new passport) and Qatar APIS info before they would issue.
They noted that they had to have the info for ticket issue by 22/23SEP (depart 29SEP) or QR and BA would cancel their sectors. The flights (QF, CX, AA, BA, QR) were on hold for 3 weeks. Normally the airline would have released the hold with a day or two.

New Version 1-Oct-2014
 

Two changes that I can see are:

Rule 4(j) the airline Gestair has been dropped from the list of IB-affiliated airlines that can be used

Rule 5 the rule on voluntary downgrades to lower cabins has been slightly improved

Note the the new IONE* products aren't eligible for "B" class (and the extra flexibility that allows)... For them, as I read this, it's either "I" or "L"

New Version 1-Nov-2014
 

The only changes I've spotted are in the list of affiliated airlines on which travel is allowed - Rule 4(j)

AA Affiliates changed from
To
JL Affiliates changed from
To

Hate to reply to my own post, but I'm wondering which continent does the Maldive belong in, Asia or Africa? Sri Lanka is in Asia, so i hope that the Maldives are in Asia as well.

MLE is in Asia. EF shows xONEx fares from there. Nothing to chase after.

New Version - 01-Feb-2015
 

Only change I've spotted is a minor change to the list of affiliated airlines on which travel is allowed

Positive change or negative?

I've spotted some changes, which may or may not be significant, in the rules about Voluntary Changes

Given that there has been some recent discussion in this forum about whether changing a transit to a stopover triggers the USD125 fee, what I think we need from a knowledgeable person is a definitive definition of "Ticketed Point"

Anyone able to provide it?

OK - the changes:

Previous wording (in rules of 1-11-2014)
New wording (in rules of 1-02-2015 )
So the references to "date/time/carrier changes have been removed, leaving only the references to "ticketed points remain the same"

Good catch.

My understanding has always been that "ticketed points" means the sequence of airports that appear in the flight coupons. If any change is made to the sequence (adding, deleting, reordering, replacing) then the $125 fee is charged. If the sequence remains unchanged, no $125 fee is charged. My reading is that the old and new text means the same thing, just worded in a simpler way: date/time/carrier changes don't affect the ticketed points, so it was perhaps redundant to word it one way in one place and the other way elsewhere.

I hate to ask, but I've been unable to find that recent discussion - can you point me to that thread? I'd be very interested.

Have asked AA, BA, CX and QF for their take on this change.
Will see if anyone replies.

To me it seems no real change.

These are changes to 'ticketed points': (There may be more)

-AAA-xBBB-CCC when changed to -AAA-BBB-CCC (or -AAA-oBBB-CCC-).

-AAA-xBBB-CCC to -AAA-xBBB-xDDD-CCC-

-AAA-xBBB-CCC to -AAA-xDDD-CCC-

-AAA-BBB- to -AAA-xEEE-BBB

-AAA-BBB- to -FFF-CCC-

-AAA-BBB- to -AAA-GGG-

Then, usually stopover/transit change causes tax recalculation.
So probably, ticket reissue is needed.
Then, some airlines charge reissue fee.
CX JP ticketing office charges 3000JPY for reissue.

BTW, some airport tax exemption is applied for same day connection. So, if you change same day connection to the next day connection (but, less than 24 hours), tax is increased, but no routing change occured in terms of OWE rule (still transit).
Any experience of tax recalculation and ticket reissue fee in this case ?

If I were to change a DONE6 SYD-NRT sector from JAL to Qantas, am I correct in thinking that this would not require a ticket reissue and not require paying $125?

The ticket would require re-issuance. (I don't think a carrier change can be done with merely a re-validation?) Thus a re-issuance fee may apply, depending on the ticket issuer.

The question is if the 125 USD penalty fee also applies. Which it will not, because your ticketed points remain the same.

Right. So I have looked in the IATA Ticketing Handbook, and guess what:

The revalidation "sticker" used by the airline (that used to go on paper tickets to cover up the wrong information) does include a Carrier column.

However, the revalidation "sticker" used by travel agents does not include a Carrier column.

"Note: The carrier must not be changed by travel agents." [but the operating carrier can be changed by the ticketing carrier.]

So whether you get hit by the re-issuance fee is up to the policy of the ticketing airline.

Just yesterday I phoned my issuing carrier (BA) to change my MAO-MIA flight from JJ to AA. They tried to charge me the USD125 change fee, but I pointed out that the ticketed points were not changing - so they backed down. There was no service fee either.

(It was when I pulled up the rule sheet during this, that I noticed the change in wording that I posted above)

Edited to add: I have just now noticed that BA actually did reticket all my remaining flights on the DONE5 - just for the simple change of carrier on one segment! (the change was from the JJ-marketed flight number, to the AA-codeshare flight number on the same flight. Did it because (a) the on-line tool would not let me select the AA Codeshare flight, and (b) having status with AA, I get the 100% bonus miles on the AA flight number but not on the JJ flight number)

Is this handbook available on-line?

Does it give a definition of "ticketed point"?

See from post #54 in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...-ex-jnb-2.html

It is available online for purchase. I couldn't possibly speculate about alternative ways it might be obtained. :D

Reading IATA definitions usually leaves you going in circles I'm afraid. From https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/passen...y-of-terms.xls I can tell you a ticketed point is "Points shown in the 'good for passage' section of the passenger ticket."
And the "good for passage" part (these days) coincides routing specified on the flight coupons.

There's also this set of tariff rules: http://www.passengerairtariff.com/docs/GENRULES.pdf which also says that the points are the airports shown in the ticket coupons.

Which, I think means, if you have something like SYD-SIN-LHR on BA as a through flight (no stop in SIN, same flight number), only SYD and LHR will appear as ticketed points. Therefore you could swap that with SYD-DXB-LHR on QF as a through flight (no stop in DXB, same flight number).

Anyone agree with this interpretation?


Sometimes I think it would save time if I just went on a travel agent training course.

Yes, I agree. Your ticket would only show LHR-SYD (SIN would not show) and so that can be changed to another through flight such as the QF one you showed, which stops in DXB but again DXB would not show on the ticket


LOL. Mrs pandaperth has suggested that to me in the past:D

I believe there are several people on this forum who could deliver a travel agent training course!

Yes, indeed, one of them tickets half of the crazy itineraries we come up with on the BA tier point runs thread. :D

(Unfortunately he is not able to ticket RTW fares. :()

Wouldn't work with this specific example. There are a few taxes that are collected even with transit in SIN on the same plane. These would have to be refunded (or collected) if you alternate between DXB/SIN transit point.

BA and QF YQ may also differ which would require potential reissue.

edit.

In saying that, I don't think $125 charge would apply under the spirit of the OWE rules. However, it will still require reissuance by the airline.

So does it qualify as a change to the ticketed points?