Why don't you just call CO or DL? They know the rules and you can always check on your own on the web. Stick with AF and KE for the flights to and from the US so you can get first class.

Thanks Stimpy

I want suggestions as to where to go. Cities I'd like to visit include SIN, BKK, Japan (not necessarily NRT), French countryside (but not Paris), Greece and Greek Isles, Wales and the English Countryside (but not London) Milan and Naples and Southern Italy (but not Rome, Florence or Venice), Prague, Dubai (if not too out of the way), Istanbul, India, St. Petersburg and Spain. I spent a month in Austrlia and New Zealand and would not mind retracing steps but would not care if I did not. I also have an African trip planned for this year. I spent time in China and Hong Kong and would not mind returning to either but they are not high on my priority list. I have never been to South America or Mexico other than Cancun and would enjoy a South America stop.

Now this is more than I can do on one trip. The easy places to skip are the easy places to go on my own such as Amsterdam, the UK and France. I'd like someone to layout three or four starting samples that meet the rules and then help me build a trip.

So that is why I am asking for names of helpers here. I will also be doing a lot of land and local travel arrangements on my own.

I am thinking about leaving in February/March and heading to South American and other warm weather locations. I'd do Asia next, Southern Italy/Turkey or Greece and the Greek Isles. In late spring or early summer I'd sample Europe and Russia and then head home.

I'd like to do six months but my wife would probably veto anything more than two or three. So I might have to do two months, a side trip home for three or four months and then finish the RTW with another two or three months. If so, I'd likely do the summer at home and go back and do Erope in early fall.

As you can see, I need some help.

You don't need help, you just need to make up your mind about where you want to go and how long you want to stay in each place. This is strictly a matter of personal preferences, time constraints, and budgetary considerations.

Until you make up your mind on the above, nothing can be effectively planned WRT the RTW itinerary.

One you decide on the above, the rest is fairly straight forward. I just finished making a paid RTW reservation for March. 17 legs in 20 days that took me 2 hours to make reservations for once I had the where and when figured out.

Are any two coupons booked seperately considered stopovers or do you actually have to have a ground stop of 24 hours?

You have to make a stopover of 24 hours or more, for it to count as one of the 6 stops.

Does anyone know where to find the mileage used to calculate a revenue RTW trip. I was using the great circle mapper, but found that I was 2000 miles off of what SkyTeam (DL) was able to find. I also added the mileage using ITAsoftware (GDS) segment by segment, but it came out 2000 miles short.

Thanks for any help.

The great circle mapper is usually accurate +/- 50 miles for any route. If you post your routing, maybe we find the reason for the difference.

This question also came up in the Delta forum, and I posted my routing there to learn that I had to account for "ground" travel between open-jaws, but this still didn't seem get it quite at what Delta said it was.

Here is my itinerary:

JFK-ATH (DL132) - Stopover
ATH-CPH (Ground) - Stopover
CPH-CDG-BKK (AF2351/AF174) - Stopover
BKK-NRT (NW28) - Stopover
NRT-PEK (NW11) - Stopover
PEK-ICN-SYD (KE880/KE811) - Stopover
SYD-CNS (Ground) - Stopover
CNS-GUM (CO903) - Stopover
GUM-NRT-LAX (CO961/KE1) - End trip

Adding this up using the great circle mapper, I got 33,016 including ground segments.

Delta said it was 32,355 - so its an error in a good direction for me, but I am still confused as to why they are not adding up.

It's really odd. The ground sectors calculated by airlines can be longer than the actual distance, but this is no explanation why DL calculates a shorter distance in your case. Maybe they miscalculated one of the surface sectors.

im flying out of mexico and have really flexible shedulle but havent decide which one to use i want to go to or at least pass by nrt tpe hkg pek bkk bom dlh something like that and then go to europe via cai ist ath which one should i choose its going to be my first rtw trip and i want to do it right

thank you everyone

SOF-PRG-FRA-CDG-BKK-NRT-MEX-EZE-ATL-ORD-IAH-SAL-IAH-MGA-ATL-CDG-SOF

Does this sound valid?

38.836 miles according to Great Circle.

With new RTW-fares loaded CMB is now cheapest both in Y and C. In F KWI still is the best option. Take a look at all new fares at:
http://www.gnopps.com/skyteam/pages/rtw-fares.php

Thanks for the heads up! It looks like CMB is currently not served by any Skyteam airline, hence the fare ex CMB is not bookable, or do I miss something?

It seems to me like you're absolutely right. I can't see any way of booking that currently.

Strange to have a published fare with no service!? Can't wait until MH joins Skyteam (if they ever do).

Gnopps, I must say, your website is clearly a labour of love and the entire FT community owes you a big ^!