NAN - I think QF used to fly its own metal there, but not now.

HNL - yes but no doubling back to the mainland, so on to SYD or Japan (or v.v.) I think it can be used in either a "North Pacific" or "South Pacific" crossing, but not both.

Extra segs - yes.

Jetstar - no. I believe QF still has its own metal running to HNL once or twice a week, with Jetstar for the rest.

Is there any historical trend as to how often or what month the Oneworld circle pacific fares increase? How long has DCIR22 been at $5500?

Thanks again!

You can see historic prices by looking at the older Sabre starfiles here: http://www.jeah.net/~markdu/OWFiles/OneCirPac.html

(May need to copy and paste as Fodors doesn't like ~s.)

IIRC it went to $5500 about a year ago. I would treat it as yellow, not green bananas at this point, however.

That's exactly the info I was looking for, thanks!

What's the best way to book, through the AA RTW desk? Is there any advantage to booking via one carrier vs another? Can I assume that availability and/or probability of waitlist clearing is the same regardless of which carrier I book through? Is there a difference in fuel surcharges and overall cost depending on which I carrier I book through? I'm currently looking at LAX-NRT on AA or JL (if I have a choice which one should I go for?) with the rest of the itinerary on QF if that makes any difference.

Assuming I can maximize my mileage, this ticket will earn me 27500 spendable and 33000 elite AAdvantage miles. Any way to maximize it further (I'm AA pot metal currently)? I looked into challenges but with only the LAX-NRT possible on AA metal and no other forseeable AA flights within 90 days, it's not enough for Plat and I'll be Gold anyway, right? Anything I'm missing? Any temporary promos?

I promise this is almost over

BTW I found out that Amex Platinum 2:1 fares for LAX-XXX-SYD are roughly $8650 on CI and $9650 on OZ for 2 pax, though the fare on CI is going up sometime later this week. I'd need to buy the domestic segments though which I priced out around $1600pp in <i>economy</i> which makes it still less attractive than DCIR22. But it might work for 2 people looking just to go to SYD. I didn't look into it far enough to see if the flights connected or if there were forced stopover(s) in TPE or ICN.

Not sure about Circles, but AA tends to charge less for YQ fuel charges than other issuers with RTWs. AA also doesn't nickel and dime you with service charges for re-issues etc.

The challenges are also good on AA codeshares, so if you were to start with an AA code on US &gt; Oz/NZ, you'd land as Plat, get double miles from that point forward (including the qualifying flight) on AA, QF and CX flights, but not JL or BA with their own flight nos.

So base miles plus class of service bonus plus 100% base Plat bonus - enough for a free trip or two by the end of the day.

Meant to add, yes, the AA RTW desk.

So apparently I <i>was</i> missing something!

Off to flip my itinerary around.

If my math is correct that means I can earn up to 49500 spendable miles as long as I book AA coded US-OZ/NZ and avoid JL coded (but AA coded/JL operated is OK)? If that's correct, woohoo!

OK since LAX-AKL is just 144 miles shy of making Plat in one flight (and I definitely want double miles on the entire itinerary), I'm now thinking of doing the following:

LAX-HKG(booked under AA code)-CNS(stop)-MEL-DPO(stop)-MEL-ADL(stop)-SYD-WLG(surface)-AKL-LAX

According to the Oneworld itinerary planner, this comes out to 21702 flown miles + 298 for the surface segment = exactly 22000

See any potential problems with my proposed itinerary?

I also applied for the Citi AA business card so I can get double miles on AA purchases (I already have the personal card but I think only the business versions have the double miles feature).

You'll have to pay $75 each for all stopovers greater than 2 in Oz/NZ, including (pretty sure) WLG, which will max you out (max of 2 purchased extra stops per region.) But otherwise it looks okay. Let's hope the RTW desk agrees with the mileage count; AFAIK they allow zilch for &quot;grace&quot; in mileage-based products.

Just to add, a little off topic, that Oneworld is rolling out an on-line RTW booking capability (including autopricing) although it won't include circle products at least initially.

Are you saying the AA RTW desk might compute a different mileage amount than the Oneworld online itinerary planner? If so, is there another site that will give me the same computation as the RTW desk?

If they don't agree, I can try for ADL-<b>MEL</b>-WLG which is 101 miles less. That still keeps me within the max 3 transfers in any one city rule although there's less availability due to the smaller J cabin on the MEL-WLG route.

Should I ask for the challenge before or after I book or does it not matter?

How long will the RTW desk hold an itinerary before ticketing?

Thanks for taking a look at this!

<i>Are you saying the AA RTW desk might compute a different mileage amount than the Oneworld online itinerary planner? If so, is there another site that will give me the same computation as the RTW desk?</i>

They might; I doubt if the difference will be all that great, but asking is free.

<i>If they don't agree, I can try for ADL-MEL-WLG which is 101 miles less. That still keeps me within the max 3 transfers in any one city rule although there's less availability due to the smaller J cabin on the MEL-WLG route.</i>

Cross that bridge when it comes to it. One thing to note in crossing the Tasman is that the daily MEL-AKL QF 25 is in intercontinental configuration (either 744 in 2-class setup or A330) with Skybeds and the whole magilla.

<i>Should I ask for the challenge before or after I book or does it not matter?</i>

You want to have the challenge clock start shortly before the flying starts, so as to leave the greatest latitude. Doesn't sound like it's going to be a big deal in your case, however.

<i>How long will the RTW desk hold an itinerary before ticketing?</i>

I think two weeks but it can be extended. That may be old info, though, subject to any changes initiated by AA in the current turmoil.

Thanks, unfortunately we can't do QF25 as we'll be starting out from KGC (separately ticketed) that morning. I'll give the RTW desk a call later.

AA computation - 21976

Got a 21 day hold and was told any extensions would basically be a cancel and rebook and to check back tomorrow for the total fare including taxes.

Forgot to ask, right now AKL-LAX is booked under AA code. Mileage wise, I believe it doesn't matter whether this last flight is booked as QF or AA, but are there any other possible issues where it might be beneficial to have it booked one way or the other? Thanks!

If you don't need the AA number for the challenge (you'll have enough points by then I assume?) then you might find the QF number makes seat selection easier. Some Oneworld carriers don't offer the same ease of advance seat selection for flights booked under partner codes.

I should have enough points for the challenge with my first flight (that's my goal), right? LAX-HKG = approx 7250 x 1.5 = 10,875. If not, please tell me now!

I'll ask them to change AKL-LAX to the QF number. If that's problematic, I guess I can live with the worst J seat

Thanks again!

Saw this thread cross-referenced elsewhere, so thought I'd add that you can phone AA and they can give you the Amadeus locator, which helps with seat selection and check-in on QF. I don't remember if it's usable by CX or not; they have their own weird IT processes.

Thanks for the clarification on the different systems.