Best fare from JNB
 

Buy on Continental in South Africa!
[KVS Availability Tool 3.1.0/Platinum - Sabre: Fares/ZUJ/SG/EUR]
In France CO / FRTWSKY1 (39000 miles in First ) 12582 EUR ...≈+90%
In France CO / CRTWSKY3 (29000 miles in Business ) 5764 EUR...≈ +60%

As mentionned in the RTW rules:

"THE FARE TO BE PAID SHALL BE THE FARE APPLICABLE FROM THE POINT
OF ORIGIN OR THE FARE APPLICABLE FROM THE POINT OF PAYMENT WHICHEVER
IS HIGHER."

What does it mean precisely?
Can I buy a ticket in France, even to begin the journey from JNB where it seems to be 40% lower or should I buy it in South Africa?
Thank you.

It means that you'll pay the France price if you have it ticketed in France ("point of payment"), even if you are initiating the travel from JNB ("point of origin") since the France price is higher. Your best bet would be to have it ticketed in JNB and pay for it there, either on a seperate trip or through a reputable travel agency.

Hi guys, Im absolutely new on RTW fares and Skyteam. I'd read most of the threads but still no clear to me which are the current cheapest cities in Asia to buy a RTW in C. Can anyone help me with that?
Also I thought that Malta was the cheapest place to start the RTW in Europe but gnopps list shows ZAG. (As you can see Im not sure yet where to start)
Well, any help is very welcome.
Thanks!!

I am interested in purchasing a RTW ticket in Business. Would it be cheaper to start from the United States or from Panama (PTY)?

Where can I find pricing information?

Furthermore, does anyone have tips/suggestions on the best airline/travel agency to call for RTW tickets?

Has anyone flown out of Malta? Are the prices departing from Malta still the cheapest?

Appreciate and help

I get pricing from the KVS tool. It is a paid service, so that may be an issue. From PTY a J RTW is ~$8,000 on all the SkyTeam carriers. The price looks the same from the USA. (These prices are CRTWSKY1 fares; more miles travelled = more $$.)

I would just book with one of the airlines unless you have a travel agent you really like. I don't know that any one is better than others to book with, though a US-based carrier is less likely to add fuel surcharges.

I don't see a CRTWSKY1 form MLA; I do see a KQ CRTWSKY2 for ~$9K. A Coach RTW looks to be ~$3K at the bottom range, but more likely ~$3750.

Someone asked this on the star alliance forum, but I am also curious for a rtw do you have to plan the entire trip with all stops in advance, OR can you just buy the ticket with the first segment stated, and then book each additional segment as you go?

Where to buy RTW tickets
 

I'm not an expert on this, but there are some guides out there that tell you the cheapest country to buy tickets from. CMB, BKK, MNL used to be the cheapest, but I'm unsure if that's still the case. I'd search FT for a database that lists the cheapest country to buy from.

Doing a quick EF look, I see a AM JRTWSKY3 award for $4791+ out of CMB. Having KVS or EF helps considerably, of course.

how difficult is it to redeen RTW awards tickets? Given that it seems airlines are reducing awards seats should I be worried?

I had very few problems booking mine, but that was 2 years ago and I was pretty flexible on routings and destinations. Having top tier elite status will generally get you free changes - something I took advantage of a lot to optimize routing/destinations - but otherwise availability is what it is. It may be good and it may not be, depending on the route and the carrier(s) available.

Good luck!

I too am wondering where is the cheapest place to buy a ST RTW now. Malta? Cairo? Johannesburg? All are doable for me.

Of those three it looks like JNB is the way to go:
[KVS Availability Tool 3.1.2/Platinum - Sabre: Fares/ZUJ/SG]


[KVS Availability Tool 3.1.2/Platinum - Sabre: Fares/ZUJ/SG]

[KVS Availability Tool 3.1.2/Platinum - Sabre: Fares/ZUJ/SG]

Thanks very much. I vaguely recall that Y-RTW's don't earn full mileage and EQM's on some airlines like KE. Is that still the case?

You have to check the rules for which fare class they book in to on the various carriers and then figure out what your earnings would be on your home carrier for those fares. I do not see the specific booking classes in the CO rules that I just read through, but I do know that some carriers book in to lower fare classes for the Y RTWs so caution would be wise.

I also just noticed this in the rules:
This is somewhat limiting, though not really all that terrible unless you are REALLY maximizing your RTW trips.