RTW trip planning help please
 

Hi Everyone,

I'm planning my 2nd RTW trip. I would like the visit the following places:

Start from Los Angeles
Amsterdam
Warsaw
Budapest
Prague
Capetown
Bangkok/Phuket
Manila
Seoul
Honolulu

Based on my research, the following routing should work:

LAX-AMS-WAW-PRG-BUD-FRA-CPT-SIN-BKK-MNL-ICN-NRT-HNL-LAX
This should qualify for the 34,000 mile tix, which costs $4,400

So I have two basic questions:
1) is this routing valid?
2) would it be cheaper if I fly to LHR first and then buy the ticket? I think the cost is significantly cheaper (>$1K)

Thanks.

Alex

Download the mileage calculator on the star alliance website (www.staralliance.com) to find out more about approximate costs and whether your routing is valid. Good luck.

One of the cheapest places to start a RTW trip in Europe is currently Zagreb in Croatia.
The CRWSTAR1 fare (29k miles) is € 4.049 (= USD 4850)

This appears to be a valid routing, in that you should have *A coverage on all sectors. However, the total distance is only some 30 000 miles; what a waste (since you're paying for 34 000 regardless). For fare comparisons, you need to d/l wbt's handy-dandy spreadsheet (check the sticky at the top of this forum). A YRWSTAR2 ex-UK is GBP1649, which, at today's exchange, is about $2900. You should easily find a r/t LA-London for less than $1500. You'd get more FF points, too.

cheers,

Henry

However, Zagreb is neither as cheap nor as easy to get to, from Los Angeles, as LHR is.

cheers,

Henry

IIRC UK RTW fares are amongst the highest in Europe. Better to start off in continental Europe.

Edit:
The UK price for the CRWSTAR1 fare is GBP 3869.- (=USD 6830).
Germany is at € 5399 (USD 6532)

I think that only applies to C and F fares, I think it's quite competitive for Y fares.

Assuming the xls planner is current a STAR2 in Y ex-UK would cost USD$2904, making it, in fact, the cheapest in Europe.

Great! Looks like I will be going to London to get the tix.

Some follow-up questions:
1) would it be possible to setup the routing before I go to London? I would like to go to the ticket office at the airport.

2) Can I book the segments, but leave the dates open? I did this when I used OneWorld's RTW. It was very flexible and I liked that.

3) Finally, if I remember correctly, if I purchase the tix outside, there is no waiting period before I can fly. For example, if I fly into LHR, buy the tix, I can fly the same day, right?

Thanks for all your help.

Alex