The new staralliance.com site has Ts&Cs for the RTW ticket here:
http://www.staralliance.com/en/fares...world-fare-tc/

I (mistakenly, apparently) thought that these were the definitive rules. Alas, UA tells me not - so beware. (I think *A would be on very dodgy ground if you bought a ticket from their website using these rules!)

In my case, I was routed NRT-LHR-PDX-SFO-ICN-TPE-NRT and decided I had no need to go to ICN any longer and so, given the 23 hour layover in ICN, decided to re-route and take the $125 fee. I decided that the best routing was PDX-SEA(surface) -TPE (via NRT) - NRT. But UA rejected this saying that I couldn't go through NRT (even as a transfer).

But the *A rules don't have this and indeed say:
The number of transfers is not limited other than in the country of origin, where not more than two domestic transfers and not more than two international transfers are permitted.
which cleary seems to allow it.

But UA quotes this rule (which is in the sticky rules from ANZ May 2008):
http://www.airnzagent.co.nz/resource...123-1may08.pdf
4. Itinerary may reflect travel greater than Round the World provided it is not via the point of origin and still terminates in the country of origin.

Bizarrely the fix for me is to go from SFO-TPE (via NRT) ... because it's all on the same flight number ... so the fact I stay longer in NRT than my preferred option doesn't seem to matter!

If anyone can point me to definitive new rules removing that one which catches me, I'd appreciate it, so that I can fight further. Otherwise I'll have to take the SFO-TPE flight and reconsider my future RTW flights.

Cheers,
ND

if you originated in NRT the you cant route thru NRT again. it clearly states not more than two international transfers. one being your departure NRT-LHR, second one being TPE-NRT on your original routing...

also correct if its not one flight number (i.e. one coupon)

So, you define a 'transfer' as either an arival or a departure (but NOT a plane change) - is that a definitive definition?

i dont, but *A does! it used to say only two international departures or arrivals in the country of origin in the rules...

a plane change is obviously a transfer as well, but SFO-NRT-TPE booked under one flightnumber is only considered as SFO-TPE (also for the milage calculation btw.)

ok, thanks. That's a bizarre definition in my book (and should be in the t's and c's), but it certainly helps explain matters!

By they way, the rules in the sticky are outdated. The current ones are from 5th October.