I think I'll be using Star rather than OW as it looks like the rules are less messy (little concept of alway travelling in the same direction).

Can I just check that members think that the following routing would be within the rules:

Miami -> Buenos Aires
Ground transfer
Quito (Ecquador) -> Los Angeles
Los Angeles -> New York
New York -> London etc etc

My concern is that I fly back across the UK from LAX to JFK. Is this OK?

I will be flying first class. Does this mean I get charged for each change of date/destination? I ask because my plans after the first few hops are quite fluid and I am likely to change a lot of the destinations and dates in one go - so would that just be one charge?

no problem (no charge, at least not for rtw tickets bought in Europe, I am not 100% sure for tickets bought in the USA) to chagne segments, routings, dates (as long as they are allowed and don't exceed the total mileage).

The non used airmmiles for the ground transportation Ecuador to Quito will be added to your total mileage allowance.

How do you fly 'back across the UK from LAX to New York?, or whas that a typo and you meant across the USA? Across the USA (backtracking, after starting in MIA on the westcoast) is no problem at all.

Whoops - well spotted I meant "fly back across the US".

I'll be starting the journey in the US so I probably need to buy the ticket there too. So if anyone in the US knows if it is correct that there are no rerouting charges for a first class RTW.

(http://www.informationlab.com/rtw_basic.htm suggests otherwise)

You asked about the fee for changes once you begin your travel. We flew on a first class Star Alliance RTW trip in Dec/Jan. You do have to pay a change fee whenever you change your dates/routing; however, if you make a number of changes simultaneously you only are charged one change fee. At least that was our experience.

If the only criterion is routing (and not where you get your frequent flyer points) then I think you are making the wrong choice by choosing STAR over Oneworld.
I don't think any Star Alliance member flies from Quito to the States (not even Mexicana as far as I'm aware and Varig/United/Air Canada certainly don't). Secondly, once you have left your country of origin I didn't think you could return to it on a STAR RTW. So leaving from Miami you couldn't go to Buenos Aires and return to LAX.
Oneworld RTW allows 2 intercontinental arrivals to North America. It would be cheaper starting it in Canada but from MIA you can go MIA-EZE//UIO-DFW-LAX-JFK-LHR etc etc. You are allowed 2 stops in your continent of origin (LAX and JFK) and 3 stops in the other continents.
I presume you are taking an overland trip from Buenos Aires to Quito but even so you have a free allowance of 4 flight segments within South America on Oneworld which would allow all sorts of possibilities including Buenos Aires to Santiago or Lima, Santiago to Quito, Bogota, Caracas, Lima,Rio, Easter Island and the Falklands/Malvinas, Quito to Bogota, or Lima to Iquitos,Cusco or Arequipa on Lan Peru, and of course all the domestic sectors in Chile on Lan Chile.

You pay nothing for date changes and $US75 for routing changes.

[This message has been edited by 3544quebec (edited 02-17-2001).]

3544quebec is correct (probably). I missed the problem, that South America is 'another' continent - and Star rtw doesn't allow to come back to a continent (in your case North America) a second time. I didn't pay attention, as I often connect through Mexico (which is not on another continent ...). Sorry.

Can I just check Rudi - you mean Star doesn't let you come back to the continent that you started from during the trip (except at the end ;-> ).

The reason I ask is that further along in the trip I dart around between Tokyo, NewZealand, Australia and Fiji. I was assuming I can do these in an odd pattern of my choice and revisit countries (just not the same airport - unless transiting through) as long as I stay within my total mileage limit.

If I can only visit each continent once (I know the rule about one transatlantic and one pacific crossing) can someone point me to a fuller set of rules than:
http://www.informationlab.com/rtw_basic.htm

[This message has been edited by julianhayward (edited 02-20-2001).]

There shouldn't be a problem (as long as it isn't too extensive) b/c OZ & NZ & SP are considered to be one continent. As long as you don't STOP in Japan twice this is supposed to be valid.
- I once booked FRA - NRT - AKL - NAN - AKL - SYD - NRT --> US

I have a headache reading this already.

If you get away with what you planned it will be the best value rtw ticket in history!

------------------
~ Glen ~

I have (I believe) good news on this one (for anyone that still cares). Was checking STAR1 RTW rules for my next trip to confirm something, and this stuck my eye (note: this is the fare ex-aus, I *assume* this rule applies to tix bought elsewhere, eg: the US, but of course your local rules MAY be different)...

F)INTERCONTINENTAL TRAVEL SHALL BE DEFINED AS
TRAVEL FROM ONE CONTINENT TO ANOTHER. TRAVEL
BETWEEN POINTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND POINTS IN
SOUTH AMERICA/NORTH AMERICA/OR MEXICO SHALL NOT
BE CONSIDERED INTERCONTINENTAL TRAVEL.

My reading of this means that you would *not* be leaving the US in the trip to Quito, and thus you could quite happily do this under the Star routing rules, as far as I can tell.

Does anyone disagree with this assement?



------------------
UA 1K MEL
A Star Alliance(tm) Member.

So - out of curiosity, there is a rule that states that when you leave a continent you can't go back to it (except presumably as a non stop-over when you are routing through it)?

Do Star use the normally understood continents or do they have their own definition?

Well (some US FT'ers won't believe) ALL of the Americas is considered one continent. As is the South Pacific including NZ and OZ, as is Asia.
Some "intercontinental" travel will be allowed - if you dont STOPOVER twice. (Europe / US --> NRT - SYD - NAN - AKL - NRT --> US / Europe

E)AFRICA/ASIA/EUROPE/NORTH AMERICA/SOUTH AMERICA/
AND SOUTHWEST PACIFIC ARE CONSIDERED AS SIX
DIFFERENT CONTINENTS. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS
RULE MIDDLE EAST IS CONSIDERED AFRICA.

------------------
UA 1K MEL
A Star Alliance(tm) Member.

That's waht the rules say - but as long as you can't tarvel directly from some of those "continents" to another they are not enforced. This is why ALL of the Americas is handled as ONE continent - without any criss crossing of course.

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TRAVEL BETWEEN POINTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND POINTS IN SOUTH AMERICA/NORTH AMERICA/MEXICO SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED INTERCONTINENTAL TRAVEL.
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