round the world flights
Apr 3rd, 2002, 11:26 AM
#2
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<BR><BR>The airline alliances, Star and oneworld, must be completed within a year. They tend to be real bargains if you're traveling first or business class. Many airlines have joined in creating their own rtw routes, usually one US airline and one Asian or European airline -- they also have one year limitations.<BR><BR>Some travel agents and consolidators specialize in creating their own rtw flights. They can be competitive in coach. They definitely are more expensive in business and first class than the rtw's mentioned above. If you're flying coach then you might think of buying segments as you go along. This will eliminate the one year problem.
Apr 10th, 2002, 12:00 PM
#4
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You can also look into companies that specialize in RTW flights - www.airtreks.com, www.airbrokers.com, www.justfares.com are a few. The Airtreks website has a cool trip planner - you enter your destinations and it will calculate an approximate fare.<BR> <BR>You will definitely have to buy the tickets in segments because all airline tickets are good for only 12 months from the date of purchase. But that might be better for you - since you will be traveling for more than a year, you might want to change your itinerary at some point along the way.
Apr 10th, 2002, 12:18 PM
#5
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If you are considering first or business class RTW and you're going to be out for over 12 months, you can terminate the RTW ticket, by flying back to the US. So if you're going to spend some time here you could came back in 12 months, you don't have to terminate in your city of origin. Continue your vacation for a few more months and buy a cheap ticket home.<BR><BR>The other way to save is to start in Canada, both Star and oneworld are say 30% cheaper in Canada than the US. That's a real savings. You must buy your ticket in Canada and you must depart from Canada. The intereting thing is that you don't have to return to Canada, you can terminate your RTW in a US city.<BR><BR>A client who lives in Seattle, drove to Vancouer and saved over $4,000 for two first class RTW fares. And he returned to Seattle, legit.<BR><BR>Remember these are just general rules, each RTW consortium has its own little quirks, so investigate carefully.
Apr 10th, 2002, 12:29 PM
#6
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Let me put a little flesh on Canada.<BR><BR>This is just an example. UA is a member of the Star alliance that includes a number of Asian and European airlines. You can book your ticket through UA's RTW desk. They have knowledgeable people who specialize in this arcane business. They will issue the ticket through their UA city ticketing office in Toronto say and FedEx the tickets to you. Generally, the airline that provide the first over water segment is the one you must ticket on.
