RTW Routing Guidance
 

I'm looking at a RTW ticket for a 5 month trip. I've fine tuned it pretty well but would appreciate some additional eyes taking a look with suggestions, or questions. I've planed this out as a DONE ex-NRT.

(LAX)-NRT-DEL-MCT-DEL-xHKG-MLE-xHKG-AKL-CHC-BNE-SYD-xDOH-IST-(TLV-IST)-LHR-(NCE-MRS-LHR)-LAX-NRT.

( )= separately booked ticket. x = stopover of less than 24 hours.

Thanks,

Joel

I just realized that the DEL-MCT leg was also not part of the DONE. Below is the accurate routing:

(LAX)-NRT-DEL-(MCT-DEL)-xHKG-MLE-xHKG-AKL-CHC-BNE-SYD-xDOH-IST-(TLV-IST)-LHR-(NCE-MRS-LHR)-LAX-NRT.

( )= separately booked ticket. x = stopover of less than 24 hours.

Nice trip! The routing looks OK to me. The current routing use only 13 segments, and there are of course a million ways to add more. For example, with your existing itinerary, you could include LHR-NCE/MRS-LHR (with the '/' being a surface segment). Or, if you were looking to bulk up the miles, throw in LAX-BOS-DFW-LAX before returning to Tokyo.

[I was all ready to talk about too many stopovers in Asia and a lack of OW flights between DEL and MCT, and then I saw your second message.]

What is DONE?

> What is DONE?

A OneWorld Explorer RTW ("ONE") in business-class ("D"). An integer suffix ("DONE4") specifies the number of continents that the trip includes.

Thanks ... 'twas an unknown acronym to us non-OneWorld flyers.

> Or, if you were looking to bulk up the miles, throw in LAX-BOS-DFW-LAX before returning to Tokyo.<

Thanks for the input. Given that I'd like to fly LHR-LAX on the return, but won't use the LAX-NRT for many months, is there a practical way to work in any LAX-based U.S. or North America travel?

<I>...is there a practical way to work in any LAX-based U.S. or North America travel?</I>

Sure, since you're originating in Asia you don't have any stopover restrictions in North America, so you could take a trip to, say, New York, or Boston, or Florida, or Mexico, then come back to LA before eventually returning to Japan.

For example, ...LHR-LAX...LAX-JFK-DFW-LAX...LAX-NRT. The only restriction is you can only fly nonstop from coast to coast once (hence the DFW leg on the return from NYC) and if you want to visit Hawaii, you can't return to the mainland, so for example you could hang out in LA until it's time to return to Japan, but stop in Hawaii on the way.

>>> Sure, since you're originating in Asia you don't have any stopover restrictions in North America, so you could take a trip to, say, New York, or Boston, or Florida, or Mexico, then come back to LA before eventually returning to Japan.

For example, ...LHR-LAX...LAX-JFK-DFW-LAX...LAX-NRT. The only restriction is you can only fly nonstop from coast to coast once (hence the DFW leg on the return from NYC) and if you want to visit Hawaii, you can't return to the mainland, so for example you could hang out in LA until it's time to return to Japan, but stop in Hawaii on the way. <<<

And that would work similarly for any North America destination? So one could fly ...LAX-JFK-YVR-LAX or LAX-JFK-SJO-LAX-NRT all with stop-overs? SJO is Costa Rica, for those besides Prof. Gardyloo reading this. Could one fly ...LAX-SJO-LAX-NRT all with stop-overs?

LAX-JFK-YVR-LAX wouldn't be allowed since both LAX-JFK and JFK-YVR are transcontinental nonstops.

While you're allowed six flights in North America you only have three available in your itinerary (16 total, the rest are being used elsewhere) so you have to pay attention to what routes are actually flown. I don't see LAX-SJO available as a nonstop, so by having to change planes somewhere you'd run out of segments. Nonstop service on AA to the Caribbean or Central America is very limited, e.g. Belize once per week.

But yes, you could certainly fly LAX-BZE-LAX-NRT all with stopovers, or LAX-MIA-BZE-LAX, since the rules don't count BZE-LAX as a transcontinental flight.

<i>Nonstop service on AA to the Caribbean or Central America is very limited...</i>

I meant nonstop from LAX.

I'm booking for a family of four. If there's a distinct possibility that we will end up changing the routing at the end of the trip for two of the passengers (skipping two or three stops), does it make more sense to book the tickets separately now so there are different record locator numbers - or does it not really make a difference on a OW RTW?

Yes, book using separate PNRs. You can't segregate the itineraries if it's all on one booking.