Help with RTW Itin
 

I'm planning my first RTW trip (and boy is it tough) and need some help from the knowledgeable FTers of this forum who have plenty of experience.

Will be getting the 34k variety and starting from BKK. Here's my itin:

BKK - JNB (via SIN) - CAI (via FRA) - SVO (via VIE) - WAW - BUD - ZAG (via VIE) - PRG - MAD (via FRA) - YYZ (via FRA) - NRT - TPE - SGN (via HKG) - CNX (via BKK) - BKK

This gets me to 33991 based on the RTW mileage calculator. However, I'm getting an error for my SGN-CNX route saying I visit Bangkok Airport too many times. However, I can't figure out why. The RTW rules doc says that you are allowed 3 transfers per city (para 9B). Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

I think the error is that you can´t go through BKK at all, since it is your starting point.

Ex-BKK there is an exception for two international departures and two arrivals. Thus you can go through BKK before terminating there later on. The *RTW calculator I think do not include that exception.

It's either a glitch in the program (likely) or you have built it as a stopover in Bangkok (>24 hours).

If I have it right, you plan to do:

BKK-xSIN-oJNB-xFRA-oCAI-xVIE-oSVO-oWAW-oBUD-xVIE-oZAG-oPRG-xFRA-oMAD-xFRA-oYYZ-oNRT-oTPE-xHKG-oSGN-xBKK-oCNX-oBKK

Assuming the miles are right for a Star 2 (every carrier seems to use different miles between city pairs and you can't necessarily rely on the program), and there are flights on Star carriers between all of these city pairs (I think there are), you should be ok.

I assume you are going to use SQ in Bangkok to ticket it? If so, good luck. They are clueless about the rules. They like the word, "Cannot."

It's the BKK-CNX-BKK at the end that's the problem - although you are permitted 2 International departures & arrivals in Thailand you still can't transit your origin point at any time.
BKK-CNX-KUL-HKT-Europe-rtw-BKK for example is legal, but transiting BKK anywhere on the itinerary is not legal as it's your start point - arrival back into your start point is end of journey.

Thanks very much Al B. I guess I got excited too early when I just got under 34k. I'll have to reroute to get maximum mileage but not go through BKK.

I can't seem to find any routing to CNX that doesn't go through BKK. Even the CNX-KUL segment you mention above seems to go through BKK (am I missing something here?). Maybe I'll just have to rely on buying that ticket separately.

I'm actually going to try United as based on prev. posts they seem to be able to ticket in Thailand but post the tickets to me in Australia.

If its a single flight number for CNX-KUL then as long as you dont want to stopover in BKK you can do as a single flight coupon. This means

a) counts 1 flight segment not 2,
b) doesnt count as transit in BKK, and
c) direct mileage is used (ie assuming non-stop) instead of the sum of mileages CNX-BKK and BKK-KUL.

Now that I think about it, I always ticket it PHS (Pitsanalook [I know the spelling is wrong]) to BKK as the first leg so it is, e.g., PHS-xBKK-oSIN-oBKK-oHKG [etc.]. The last leg is BKK-PHS.

I don't see any trans-oceanic flights on UA on your itinerary. As a result, I think you will find that UA won't ticket it.

NRT-TPE is on UA 801. Is this not sufficient? I had no idea about the requirement to fly UA to get it ticketed by UA. Is it just as easy to just fly to BKK and purchase the RTW ticket on the spot? Or is there another *A carrier that will ticket in BKK, but post the tickets overseas?

Originally I was thinking of buying the ticket for flights commencing in say August before the price increases in April, and then just change dates as necessary later.

Thanks Kiwi Flyer. I can't seem to find a single flight number for CNX-KUL so I'm not quite sure how this would be valid w/o counting as a transit in BKK. Guess I'll have to re-work my itin.

I did a bit more searching and found TG641 which goes NRT-CNX but via BKK. The RTW calculator still gives me the error message about visiting BKK too many times, but I assume this must be a bug based on your comments above. Guess I might just have to skip TPE and do SGN on a separate trip.

Thanks again to all for your help. It is greatly appreciated by this RTW novice!

Any Star carrier (and LX until they become official partners) can issue on their paper a :-: fare, but they must have at least one segment on the itinerary.

My "CNX-KUL" was a hypothetical, to explain the point I was trying to make! (Not that I think you're thick and need explanations of course :) ). TG have flights from HKT to CNX and you can get to HKT from ICN and VIE if that helps - although I expect it won't as HKG-ICN-HKT will push you over in miles. However, one way to scrimp back many of those miles is if Europe is flexible for you - lot's of options there to trim miles back.
What about starting your trip in HKT instead of BKK - HKT x/BKK x/SIN JNB will allow you to finish your itinerary as currently planned.
When is travel for?? What class of travel??

Thanks Al B. I misinterpreted it as an actual routing so my bad. I may look at HKT as a starting point. I will actually be flying in from HKG to start the RTW (since Thai prices are cheaper), so I don't think it makes much difference flying HKG-HKT or HKG-BKK.

I'm thinking of travel in August to Nov/Dec in Y. I know SAA may be in by then, but I'm planning for them not to be in just in case. Worst case, I've revised my Asian routing to NRT-SIN-BKK and just do side trips to see SE asia (thai/cambodia/viet/laos from BKK, and malaysia from SIN). I come in at 33.7k miles.

If you want miles for your side trips, then go for the Star Asia Airpass. If the miles aren't much of a concern, you'll pick up enough cheapies with all the new breed of Asian LCC's floating around!
Not sure how you're getting into HKG, but you'll need an International ticket from another region into Asia to qualify for the Pass. You could even use it to get between HKG and BKK to start your RTW for example.