Hi there

Could anyone who knows more about Star RTW's than me (probably everyone) please advise me on the best RTW routing from MEL on the 39K ticket, i need to visit LON & YYZ only but was hoping to get the maximum mileage / sectors out of the ticket.

Any help would be great

Cheers
Tubbsy
MEL, AU

Hi

You dont mention what class, but from the title I assume F. So the starting point should be what sectors (esp long haul) have an F option. Also what airlines you would prefer, destinations to visit (or to avoid), time you have to travel, time of year, etc.

Seeing as you have "$$$ to spend" I suggest sharing the wealth and putting into the travel funds of several of we locals (eg: myself and Al B) - then we'd be more than happy to help find a optimal routing for you!

Seriously though we do need a little more to go on than "I want to spend money on a 39k trip" however, here's a rough shot pulled off the back of a piece of toilet paper:

MEL-AKL-LAX-MIA-GRU-EZE-YYZ-FRA-LHR-NRT-HKG-BKK-MEL
(38980 via great circle mapper ).

Here's another one:
MEL-SIN-JNB-FRA-VIE-BCN-MAD-LHR-CPH-YYZ-NRT-ICN-HKG-SIN-AKL-CHC-MEL
(38598 miles)

Of course if you only want F service, or specific carriers you could do all kinds of things - you should tell us and we can get our collective juices going to come up with a ripper.

Hi There

Thanks for the couple of routings, Richard.

I guess i should have been more specific, I will probably travel Business class on the RTW starting in October 04, and if possible avoid the USA. It doesn't matter if i travel eastbound or westbound as long as YYZ & LON are included.

Cheers
Tubbsy

Ok this helps a lot :-) I had a feeling a USA-free itin might be in the works, which is why I did the 2nd routing. Ok CRWSTAR3 without USA. In that case I'd choose carriers with good C class and/or 2 class service to make the most of the fare (of course, if you're crediting to a specific FF program and intend to use points/certificates to upgrade (eg: LH, UA etc) that will factor in to what you do. Also if you're flying paid C you might want to consider putting into SQ PPS - if you're not already - in which case you might want to skew as much travel to SQ flying as possible).

So, I'll use those assumptions to create a CRWSTAR3 and see how we go:

MEL-SIN-NRT-ICN-HKG-xSIN-NRT-VIE-FRA-LHR-FRA-YYZ-YVR-xSIN-MEL

I'm sure others will have crafty routings that are better than mine!

notes:
3 transfers @ SIN allowed including 1 stop
MEL-SIN-NRT/SIN-NRT/YVR-SIN-MEL all SQ
(I did consider looking at some of those euro tags like AMS-MAN but I'm not sure if SQ still has any, and they were only ever a few days a week anyway, so decided to keep it somewhat simple).
NRT-VIE on OS 2 class
FRA-YYZ on AC 2 class

38698 miles @ GC

Other options worth considering:

* fly via JNB for interest sake instead of running around asia a bit
* If you can stomach it, fly BD transatlantic C class into IAD/ORD - supposed to be a great product, or at that do SQ FRA-JFK.
* substitute some of the asian flying to bounce around europe a bit more if only to try some of the "smaller" carriers: SK JK OS*
* avoid airlines with lesser C classes, widely agreed to include TG and OZ
* Alternative to NRT-VIE=NRT-CPH on SK which is also 2 class.
* Don't fly OS BKK-VIE as it's actually Lauda, and the product isn't as good in C.

Obviously you prob. don't want to just muck around visiting SIN 3 times and Narita twice. If there's any other places you can think you'd want to go (remember, you must have 3-15 stops on a Star RTW ticket) then you should think about that. Also depends which FF program you will credit to as it could affect the most optimal routing for miles/credits, etc. For example some programs are generous with minimum sector lengths (LH, UA) which you can take advantage of. Also as I said if you'd plan to upgrade any sectors, it makes sense to fly your "home" airline.

Hope this helps as a starter to work something out.

A lot of good points made there by RichardMEL, and trying to pretend I have something to add, a few things you might want to consider:

* West-bound RTWs are more fun, usually more daylights flights. Any 40USD/night hotell beats any flat bed I've tried in C (and the only good one in C I've tried is BA, which isn't even*A). West-bound RTWs usually means a lot less jetlag and less need for adjusting your body clock.

* Even if you want to avoid going into the US, you might want to snip through it quickly to get a better selection of carriers. Instead og either doing South America or doing AC you could fly into a place on the US west coast and then transit out to Asia, i.e. inbound to SEA, SFO or LAX from Europe with LH, SK or others and then fly out with SQ or NH. You might choose UA, but I have a healthy dislike for them.

* On *A and C-class service there are a few things that people here may or may not agree on, but in my head I have a rough division of C-classes:

- SK: smallish carrier, nice long haul service, new aircraft, nice concept, good food. Friendly service, and CPH is a nice airport.
- BD: small carrier , but lavish service.
- SQ: A lot of show about the service, some people hate the SpaceBeds, I like the old ultimo seats (now gone, finally?). Big pluss for Book The Cook. Service reputed on some sectors ot be hit and run.
- NH: Haven't tried it, but according to some gossip in the trip report forums, it's aparently at least up to SQ standard on service, and even better on food. I'm trying my best to get SFO-NRT and a regional Asian flight on NH for my next ticket.
- LH: A must for UA.lovers; matrons that will tell you exactly where to sit and make you feel guilty for it. Done LH long haul once, not happening again.
- UA: not happening if I can help it, maybe a domestic SEA-SFO if the weather isn't nice for dricing down to catch NH to NRT.
-NZ: old C-concept, I think I read their redoing it later this year, but for now, oldish chairs that are actually comfy, but they make up for it with food and service. Sun-rise with the panoramic view in the AKL lounge is spectacular.

*A and lounges and airports:

-Avoid LHR like the plague. If you do get stick ther,e however, the new *A joint lounge is supposedly nice. If yiou are dependent on a more quiet lounge and nice good internte connectivity, the SQ lounge fits the bill.

-FRA is almost as bad as LHR, and using FRa usually entails using LH in some way.

-US domestic lounges are to loungest what US domeste F class is to real F class. Subsititue "holding pen" for lounge in the US.

-NZ lounge in AKL (as aboce), best view for taking on a good breakfast.

-SQ SilverKris lounge in Singapore doesnt have much in views (large TVs and aquariums), but half decent food and good snacks.

-SK-lounges: IKEA catalogue, nothing fancy, but has style and they're usually friendly places, but dont expect to be fed a lot.

-SIN airport: bar on the rooftop, say no more, cold beers, big shiny metal tubes flying in front of you. Heaven.

If you have the mileage, have fun:

-SQ on SIN-KUL-SIN, get a seat in the far back of the middle section on a 777, it's only 40 mins each way. That way when friends berate you for traveling upscale and being fancy you can comfort them with "I've traveled multiple segments stuck in the middle section of one of those big aircrafts". Makes you appreciate the SilverKris lounge more when you ahve to leave it for two hours to mingle with the unwashed masses.

-Get a latin touch to your ticket, RG is bookable on CDG-AMS and LHR-CPH and v.v. a few days a week. Short hops in big aircraft. Almost as fun as takeoff in an almost empty SQ 747 from SIN to CGK.

I'm hopefully getting away form work early this summer and I'm drooling on making a 34k in C-class and looking at something like this:

OSL-LHR-CPH-SEA-PDX-SFO-NRT-HKG-SIN-BNE-SIN-BKK-HKG-NRT-PEK-CPH

Thats somewhere in the ballpark of 34k and I need to get all the fun bits into it.

Hope my rambling helps

Hi there

Thanks for responses.

I have been playing about with this over the past couple of days and came up with this for 38,940 miles.

MEL-NRT-DXB-FRA-DUS-LHR-MAD-GRU-JFK/LGA-YYZ-DEN-LAX-PPT-RAR-AKL-MEL

A few US hops in there, a couple of short LH sectors and some pacific island hopping ^

Airlines used TG, NH, UA, LH, BD, RG, AC & NZ
Any comments on this routing ?

Cheers
Tubbsy

My immediate comment (I don't have time for a long winded answer - for a change! LOL) is that: It's paid C and a) you're flying TG and b) not SQ? Your call of course, but I think I'd rather a SQ sector over a TG anyday, or anything over TG anyday (until they revamp C that is).

The other comment is more useful than opinionated: Watch that 38940 miles. Note that the ticketing carrier will use a slightly different (IATA perhaps) system to give the distances and you could find that while GC has it under 39,000 miles, IATA might have it slightly over, in which case you might have to subsitute say DUB for FRA, or something like that to free up a few more miles.

Why the switch to include US sectors when you said you didn't want any? just out of interest.

Also, while I actually like UA C, and think the seats are better than LH C, everyone's mileage is better, but I just loved the above comment about the LH matrons. Right on!! Don't forget the door biatch at MUC!

More opinions from me

If you want to be strictly non-US it leaves you with two very distinct options for your ticket:

a) Latin America. Unless you need to (or want to) go there, its a lot of miles of your ticket that could have spent otherwise. In real life that means Varig from Europe and down and then Varis from up and transiting LAX to Asia. (Yes, you *CAN* take LH and go south. Literally.).

b) The Canadian way: Fly some carrier from Europe to Montreal/Toronto/Vancouver. I'm up late, but that means AC from from a major city and across, as neither BD or SK flies to Canada, and none of SQs flights continue onto Canada. Yes, you *CAN* fly LH, but that would still go south, even if it is geographically north and west.

The egress options are, as far as I know it, slightly limited too. Out of Vancouver you get once again AC, or you can pick your first Asian carrier, NH to NRT or SQ to SIN. Whip me if I forgot something, but I think that's it for Vancouver.

Spending the elbow grease to go to LAX or SFO opens up the kangaroo-routes, as you can do NZ LAX-AKL and this save serious mileage and actually do a 29k RTW and still get to see Steve hug crocs. And if you don't mind, there is UA to SYD/MEL. You also get better options on getting to Asia, SQ flies to both cities, NH does too and UA of course. An you get a better selection of daytime flights.

Then there's the almost-route: AC to HNL and then NZ to AKL. Skips the real US bits of the US, and gets you some nice warm islands.

Some comments:
1. Agree with RichardMel. Why pick TG when SQ is clearly more worth it in C-class. And, have you changed your mind regarding not wanting to go through the US?
2. I don't think NH is flying to/from Vancouver. It's a code-share with AC.

BD are starting MAN - YYZ fairly soon if it hasnt started already

P