rtw on SQ
 

I am contemplating a RTW trip from Australia flying SQ and other Star alliance carriers if necessary. My aim is to achieve maximum no's of PPS sectors on SQ. Does anyone has any suggestions re routings.

I just had a very brief look:

MEL-SIN-DXB-CAI (SQ)
CAI-FRA (LH)
FRA-JFK (SQ)
JFK-(ORD)-SFO (UA)
SFO-NRT-SIN-MEL (SQ)

I hope that flying through SIN twice is allowed under the Star RTW rules. Also make sure that SIN-DXB-CAI is booked seperately, not as SIN-CAI.

You'll have to forgive my ignorance on Kris Flyer, but if it's segments you need for the PPS thang, then here's my 2c worth - keeping in mind the *RTW rulings.

MEL - x/SIN - KUL (SQ)
KUL - x/SIN - DXB - IST (SQ)
IST - VIE - MAD (OS/JK)
MAD - PAR (SQ)
PAR - FRA (LH)
FRA - JFK (SQ)
JFK - YVR (AC)
YVR - SEL (SQ)
SEL - BKK (SQ)
BKK - KIX - x/SIN - MEL (SQ)
12 segments on SQ.

Only because I've got way too much time on my hands....

You can skip the SIN-KUL-SIN because the distance is too short to qualify for PPS sectors. Number of sectors gained (J/F):

2.5/3 MEL - x/SIN - KUL (SQ)
3.75/4.5 KUL - x/SIN - DXB - IST (SQ)
??? MAD - PAR (SQ)
-- don't see this as an SQ option
2.5/3FRA - JFK (SQ)
5/6YVR - SEL (SQ)
1.25/1.5SEL - BKK (SQ)
3.75/4.5BKK - KIX - x/SIN - MEL (SQ)

Total sectors 18.75/22.5 -- not enough for PPS qualification

SIN-DXB-CAI nets the same number of sectors as SIN-CAI: 1.25+2.5 vs. 3.75

Its one of those Sundays sprawled out on the couch doing absolutely nothing, and I just came out with this RTW itinerary that gets 26.25 PPS sectors on SQ ex-BKK. Webflyer puts the mileage at 38355. One stopover and 3 transfers at SIN seems to be legal under the RTW rules.

Am I missing something here or will this be a RTW that can get me PPS as well?

1.25 BKK-SIN
5 SIN-FRA
2.5 FRA-JFK
(JFK-SFO on UA)
5 SFO-HKG
(HKG-ICN on OZ)
3.75 ICN-x/SIN-BOM
5 BOM-x/SIN-SYD
3.75 SYD-x/SIN-BKK

Edited to add: Forgot to mention that its on business class.


[This message has been edited by Savage25 (edited Jan 11, 2004).]

3 transfers includes your one permitted stopover. It's a maximum of 3 transfers (not transits) per city.

Would BOM and SYD stops be on the wrong directions? Your routes are going westward. After SFO-HKG-ICN, I don't know if you can do the BOM and SYD bits. BOM is west of BKK and SYD is east of ICN.

You might want to do JFK-SFO-LAX-HNL-xSIN/SYD-xSIN/NRT-HKG-SIN-BKK.

Also, if you're flying Business Class, have you considered putting your miles to LH? 39,000 miles in C will give you Senator status (top tier) for 2 years.

Al...thanks for the clarifications about transfers and transits.

Scott...yep, was going for LH Sen. I thought that even if I were going westward, I could "backtrack within one of the three major areas" (eg. within Asia and Australia)? I remember seeing that written down somewhere. What would "backtrack" mean in the context of a RTW?

There's no such thing as "backtracking restrictions" in *RTW's. You can do whatever you want to, providing you keep in mind a couple of routing rules (like only 1 crossing between IATA2 and IATA3, use both an AT and PA crossing once only in each itinerary etc etc.)
As ICN BOM and SYD are all in IATA3, there is no problem with routing that way if you can afford to burn the miles involved !!!
Cheers.

AL B
not wanting to question your knowledge on RTW - but I ran into the following when starting in CAI and wanting to add a sidetrip to Southa Africa from Europe, that there was in fact a question of backtracking involved - meaning if I from Eurpoe wanted first to go to South Africa and then on the RTW so to speak I could only fly westwards i.e. US and then Asia - if I wante to fly eastwards I could only to the sidetrip to South Africa after the RTW i.e. Asia - US.
What are your thoughts ?
Anyway it was not a problem - I am only curious.
Cheers

Thomas

Hi Thomas.
I can't think of anything that would restrict you from doing what you wanted. (i.e. - CAI-FRA-JNB-FRA etc etc.) You are only allowed one international/intercontinental arrival and departure from/to country of origin, but that's country of origin, not region of origin. Africa and Europe are both in IATA2, so that's not a concern either.
There's nothing in the transfer rules for Africa either, so am at a loss as to why it would not be allowed.
Possibly a mileage concern with the options out of Sth Africa limited??
Maybe someone can spot something I've missed - I'm sure attorney28 did something very similar on a trip last year (Nth Africa to Euro to Sth Africa back to Euro etc).
Cheers.

It seems as though the other posters here are concentrating on Star Alliance RTW tickts. From Australia, there are a couple of other options with SQ.

There is an SQ only RTW, and there is an SQ/UA RTW. Neither allows any backtracking. The later must be flown on UA from the U.S. back to Oz. Needless to say, these options are cheaper than Star Alliance RTW tickets.

On the SQ only flights, you would have to make your own way across the U.S. An acceptable routing would be: SYD-SIN-FRA-JFK; LAX-NRT-SIN-SYD.

On the joint UA/SQ tickets, you can fly: SYD-SIN-FRA-JFK on SQ; work your way across the US on United (I think you get four or six stops and up, and down each coast are not considered backtracking (e.g., JFK-IAD-MIA-LAX-SFO); and then UA from SFO or LAX to SYD.

Just another couple of options for you.

Hi Al B,
sorry to have expressed myself unclear, what I tried to tell, was that whilst there is no problem of integrating a trip EUR - South Africa - EUR - there was a rule in terms of backtracking - meaning that if from EUR I wanted to go east - Asia first and then US - I had to to the trip to Southa Africa after the "RTW" whereas if I wanted to go westwards - i.e. US first and then Asia for the return to EUR - I had to make the trip to South Africa first and then the "RTW" - this having something to do in terms of the relative longi-/latitude position of JNB vs CAI.
Meaning that I had to make a decision before issuing the ticket - then again a change fee should be able to reverse the itin - and also the whole direction to my understanding.
Thank you for your comments above.

Cheers

Thomas

FYI, SIN-BOM is 1.25/1.5 sectors, but SIN-DEL is 2.5/3. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif