As Always, I thank you! And, I see what to do.
So now I think I want to reverse the order of the trip and leave in Dec 2020 for Asia & then NZ and finish up in Oct/Nov 2020. I assume I have to wait until flights are available for Oct/Nov 2020 before I could go ahead and book this? Is that correct? If so that puts me just a couple months before I would depart on the 1st flight in late Dec. Are there ever problems booking so close in? This is in business class. I ask because I notice as I have played around with all this, sometimes I see the booking is only available in economy which is usually the long haul to NZ.
As far as where to begin, is it the same for each alliance?

Please clarify the dates. Start in 2020 and end in 2021, or start in 2019 and finish in 2020?

We would start in Dec. 2019 and finish in the fall of 2020. (This is all so far off--I never plan so far ahead so the dates are confusing to me!)

You can book the RTW as soon as the airlines release their schedules, so in the case of a late 2019 departure, sometime around the first of the year. (Bookings open typically 11 months prior to the flight date, 12 months for some airlines.)

However when the booking opens for the first flights, the dates won't be available for the later ones. The standard approach to this is to book "dummy" dates for all the flights that aren't available at the initial booking date. Then, because date changes are free with RTW tickets, just go back to the issuing airline (this can be done on the phone) and switch to the preferred dates once they're available.

I generally recommend booking the RTW ticket as soon as possible in order to lock in the price at the time. RTW fares can and do go up over the course of a year, but by ticketing early you can secure the favorable pricing through the duration of the ticket's life. Note too that tickets can be cancelled prior to the first flight, with a 10% (for economy) or a 5% (business) penalty. This is better than a lot of conventional tickets, too. If you want to wade through the Oneworld RTW rules, here ya go: Permanent oneworld Explorer fare rules doc.pdf

[QUOTE=Gardyloo;16831408]You can book the RTW as soon as the airlines release their schedules, so in the case of a late 2019 departure, sometime around the first of the year. (Bookings open typically 11 months prior to the flight date, 12 months for some airlines.)

However when the booking opens for the first flights, the dates won't be available for the later ones. The standard approach to this is to book "dummy" dates for all the flights that aren't available at the initial booking date. Then, because date changes are free with RTW tickets, just go back to the issuing airline (this can be done on the phone) and switch to the preferred dates once they're available.

Let me make sure I understand this, I book "dummy" flights and they can be changed. Can I change airlines? For example, I book with Malaysia air for the dummy booking. When I go to change I switch to Sri Lanka air -- is that allowed or must I stay with the same airline and same flight?

You say, "just go back to the issuing airline" You recommend using American to book, so I would go back to AA for any changes?

Finally, or at least for now, I'm trying to compare prices on starting my trip in Paris instead of Olso to see what the price difference would be. I want to go from Paris to Colombo Sri Lanka. Most of the flights are on BA & go thru London. When I try to price the entire itin I get a message that says, I need to call BA as there is an error. There is a flt thru Madrid and London on Iberia, but when I try and use that it gives me too many sectors within Eur & MidEast. I can find other flights but they don't show up in the list that populates their website for the Explorer fares. How do I put in alternate flights? I gather I can have this done when I call an agent?


I don't know where you live, but at some point, if I am in your city, I owe you big time -- drinks or even dinner on us!

You can change dates, pick a different flight on the day, or change airlines, provided it's for the same "city pair" (e.g. Bangkok to Colombo) as originally booked.

Yes, although technically any member airline can make the changes. Some airlines (Qantas is notorious for this) will charge a "service fee" - $25 or $50 or some such - to make the changes. If you book with AA, AA would be the easiest place to make the changes.

Remember, you can change the overall plan, route, stopovers, dates - if you're willing to pay a "re-issue" fee ($125.)

Right now a 4-continent business class Oneworld Explorer starting anywhere in the Euro zone (France, Spain, Finland, anywhere) is $1200 more expensive than starting in Norway. The "call BA" thing is a bug with the Oneworld tool, of which there are too many to count. Ticketing through it is only for the brave - it hangs at the payment screens more often than not. Same goes for trying to get flights that you know exist but which the online tool can't find. You're basically stuck, which is why using the human is better than the robot.

There are some tricks of the trade that can save major money in the taxes and fees subtotal. I've already mentioned that avoiding longhaul flights on British Airways is one, particularly ones that depart Heathrow, because of the UK Air Passenger Duty. Other airlines charge various surcharges and fees that are hard to pin down; some of these are inescapable (for example Qatar Airlines, which flies some routes that nobody else does) but it's worth playing around with the tool using different routing options just to see the impact on the bottom line. You've got plenty of time, so see what you can see. You might also consider signing up for Expert Flyer, so you can see base fares for numerous places with much less effort than using the crummy Oneworld tool.

That's very kind but (obviously) I enjoy this stuff. It's kind of like gaming the airlines to extract maximum value along with maximum fun. I'm in Seattle, by the way.

It's kind of like gaming the airlines to extract maximum value along with maximum fun. I'm in Seattle, by the way. Love Seattle but haven't been for quite a few years.

I've done yet another dummy itin with the following. I'd like to get from DC to TelAviv and then TelAviv to Oslo. I apparently can't do this because I have too many sectors in Europe Mid East. I can got DC to JFK and to Amman, Jordan instead of to TelAviv but my preference would be to fly in & out of TelAviv. Any ideas around this? Thank you

1. OSLO to Sri Lanka
2. Doha (DOH)
   01:40 Terminal:Colombo (CMB)
   09:20 Terminal:Qatar Airways
   QR664
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 15h 35m
   • Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
3. 2. Colombo (LK) - Kuala Lumpur (MY)
   30/Jan/2019
   Change flight
   Surface Sector infoColombo (CMB)
   07:30 Terminal:Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
   13:45 Terminal: MSriLankan Airlines
   UL314
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 03h 45m
   • Aircraft: Airbus A330-200 Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
4. 3. Kuala Lumpur (MY) - Denpasar-Bali (ID)
   04/Feb/2019
   Change flight
   Surface Sector infoKuala Lumpur (KUL)
   15:20 Terminal: MDenpasar-Bali (DPS)
   18:25 Terminal: IMalaysia Airlines
   MH853
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 03h 05m
   • Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
5. 4. Denpasar-Bali (ID) - Auckland (NZ)
   11/Feb/2019 (+1 day)
   Change flight
   Surface Sector infoDenpasar-Bali (DPS)
   21:30 Terminal: IMelbourne (MEL)
   06:15 (+1 day) Terminal: 2Qantas
   QF46
   • Stops: 0
   • Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Passenger/BBJ2 (winglets)
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades availableMelbourne (MEL)
   07:30 Terminal: 2Auckland (AKL)
   13:10 Terminal: IQantas
   QF151
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 10h 40m
   • Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Passenger/BBJ2 (winglets)
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
6. 5. Auckland (NZ) - Washington (US)
   13/Mar/2019
   Change flight
   Surface Sector infoAuckland (AKL)
   13:50 Terminal: ILos Angeles (LAX)
   06:00 Terminal: BAmerican Airlines
   AA82
   • Stops: 0
   • Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades availableLos Angeles (LAX)
   09:50 Terminal: 0Washington (IAD)
   17:45 Terminal:American Airlines
   AA1339
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 20h 55m
   • Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
7. 6. Washington (US) - Tel Aviv-Yafo (IL)
   19/Mar/2019 (+1 day)
   Change flight
   Surface Sector infoWashington (IAD)
   19:25 Terminalondon (LHR)
   06:30 (+1 day) Terminal: 5British Airways
   BA216
   • Stops: 0
   • Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades availableLondon (LHR)
   08:05 Terminal: 5Tel Aviv-Yafo (TLV)
   14:50 Terminal: 3British Airways
   BA165
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 13h 25m
   • Aircraft: Boeing 777 Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
8. 7. Tel Aviv-Yafo (IL) - Oslo (NO)
   25/Mar/2019
   Change flightTel Aviv-Yafo (TLV)
   06:55 Terminal: 3London (LHR)
   10:30 Terminal: 5British Airways
   BA162
   • Stops: 0
   • Aircraft: Boeing 787-8
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades availableLondon (LHR)
   19:55 Terminal: 5Oslo (OSL)
   23:10 Terminalritish Airways
   BA770
   • Stops: 0
   • Duration: 17h 15m
   • Aircraft: Airbus A319 Passenger
   • Booking Class: Business
   No upgrades available
   Remove flight

As I said, the online booking tool at Oneworld is just terrible. Not only does it fail to find eligible flights, it references rules in the product that have been superseded, and then when you try to book, it has a seizure. The IT people at Oneworld (who farmed this turkey out to a firm that has since crashed) apparently don't give a damn, despite years of protests from those of us who use these products. The "too many Middle East segments" glitch is one of many similar problems.

One of your problems is letting the tool make too many decisions; it's not good at all with that. By putting in "Oslo to Colombo" or "Washington to Tel Aviv" the tool will have to choose where to change planes, because neither city pair has nonstop service. In the case of Oslo to Sri Lanka, it defaults to Qatar's nonstop flight from Oslo to Doha, rather than choosing a BA flight to London then Sri Lankan Airlines' nonstop. Then, later, when you try to get to Israel, it defaults to London - Tel Aviv and back on BA. The old rule (that no longer exists but the tool still observes) was that only two flights were permitted between western Europe and the Middle East or v.v., and you'd have three - OSL to DOH at the beginning, then LHR-TLV-LHR at the end.

It's always preferable to specify ALL the flights when using the tool. Don't put in "Oslo to Colombo," put in "Oslo to London to Colombo," since those are the actual flight segments you'd be using.

So try this routing instead, being sure you put in every airport you'd touch (pardon the use of airport codes - get used to it.) OSL-LHR-CMB-KUL-DPS-MEL-AKL-LAX-IAD-LHR-TLV-HEL-OSL . Here's the map showing this route - https://tinyurl.com/ya89qjtm

Tweaks to save money on this route. As I said, try to avoid longhaul British Airways flights and stopovers in the UK followed by longhaul flights (on any carrier.) This will avoid BA's high surcharges and the UK's high Air Passenger Duty departure tax. If you must touch the UK (e.g. OSL-LHR-CMB) make it just a short connection at Heathrow, less than 24 hours, as the APD is waived on connections.

Here's the workaround if you want to experiment playing with the tool. OSL-LHR-CMB-KUL-DPS-SYD-AKL-LAX-DCA-JFK-HEL-TLV-HEL-OSL (Map - https://tinyurl.com/y8l4aav7 )

More details:

OSL-LHR: British Airways short haul

LHR-CMB: Sri Lankan Airlines. Don't spend more than 24h in the UK (come back on your own nickel sometime). See the video covering Sri Lankan's business class below (on the same route, but in reverse.)

CMB-KUL: You can use either Malaysian or Sri Lankan Airlines on this route; I'd pick Sri Lankan because they use newer planes.

KUL-DPS: Malaysian is the only Oneworld operator on this route.

DPS-SYD (or MEL): Qantas operates both routes. I'd pick Sydney over Melbourne as Qantas uses wide-bodies on DPS-SYD but 737s on DPS-MEL, and that's a long time to sit in a narrow-body plane.

SYD-AKL: Qantas operates numerous daily flights on this route; however I'd pick Latam (formerly Lan Chile) for this flight as they operate Boeing 787s on this route, with a superior in-flight experience. (The plane carries on to Santiago.)

AKL-LAX: American is the only airline flying this route, and I'd pick AA anyway if you want to ticket the RTW through AA (which you should) as AA usually wants at least one transoceanic segment on their own planes to justify the ticketing

LAX-DCA: Note NOT IAD; AA flies both. The reason for using National instead of Dulles is that I'm suggesting using some other carrier than BA for the transatlantic segment, and BA is the only member airline flying across the pond from Dulles. I'm suggesting Finnair from JFK for the transatlantic segment (to Helsinki) since Finnair also flies to Tel Aviv. AA doesn't fly from IAD to JFK, but they do from National Airport. by flying LAX-DCA-JFK-HEL-TLV instead of LAX-IAD-LHR-TLV you can avoid BA's surcharges and possibly UK APD. You have plenty of available North America segments (you're only using two vs. one in the original plan, and you're allowed up to six) so the connection at JFK wouldn't be at any great expense. Finnair is a quality product, and Helsinki airport is way cool (as is the city.)

DCA-JFK: Numerous AA flights daily.

JFK-HEL: On Finnair

HEL-TLV: Also Finnair; it's actually a shorter flight than LHR-TLV.

TLV-HEL: Same plane, just a turn-around.

HEL-OSL: Several Finnair flights daily.

Sri Lankan business class video:

Perfect! Basically I have to look at what is offered and pick the best flight. You have saved me researching that and the various equipment. You should be getting a commission ! This is quite the experience figuring all this out.

I'm back at this! (Now that I got Japan set). Using what I have above with your suggested flights, I'm thinking I might add a trip in the summer from DC to SCL. Is that doable? It's telling me I have too many segments with the addition of SCL. I now trust you more than their site. Thanks!

You're allowed a maximum of 16 segments, whether they're flown or surface ones.

Adding SCL will add a continent to the fare, so it would be a 5-continent fare rather than a 4-continent one, with around a $1000 increase in the base price.

There's no Oneworld service nonstop from DC to SCL; you'll need to fly someplace to change planes, both going and coming, such as JFK, Miami or DFW. Your current plan uses 13 segments, so the four for the South America gambit would put you at 17, one too many.

There are work-arounds of course.

1. Instead of getting to Israel via JFK and Helsinki, you fly on BA's nonstop to London from IAD, then on to TLV from London. This is easy, but it will expose you to BA's high fees. OSL-LHR-CMB-KUL-DPS-SYD-AKL-LAX-DCA-MIA-SCL-DFW-IAD-LHR-TLV-HEL-OSL Note you'll have to distinguish between DCA and IAD; switching airports uses a segment, which you can't afford.

2. Use Philly, Miami or JFK for your "stopovers" instead of Washington, since Oneworld has much more nonstop service from those airports than from DC (which is a United/Star Alliance hub.) You'd need to get to and from, say, JFK, on your own in order to save segments. For example, here's where you'd fly to JFK from LAX after New Zealand, go home on your own, then back to JFK to go down to Chile. However you could return to DC via Miami to DCA, then up to JFK to get to Helsinki as per the original plan. OSL-LHR-CMB-KUL-DPS-SYD-AKL-LAX-JFK-SCL-MIA-DCA-JFK-HEL-TLV-HEL-OSL

And because of the additional continent increasing the base price, you might also want to think about buying the SCL ticket on your own outside of the RTW, Sometimes there are good sales in business class or premium economy products to South America, which might end up costing less than the additional cost of the RTW ticket. I know this sounds daft, but for example for July, a round trip in business class from San Jose, Costa Rica (which is part of North America for the purposes of the RTW ticket, so you wouldn't have to add a continent) to Santiago in $970, less than the additional continent would cost in the RTW. That fare would actually send you back to Miami before heading south (SJO-xMIA-SCL-xMIA-SJO) which is very weird but not surprising given the overall weirdness of airfares.

Thanks! More very helpful info. We'll have to digest all this and decide how we want to do it.

Alrighty -- what I'm playing around with filling in is the summer. After we return from NZ , SL etc there will be about 6 months before we embark on the trip to Israel. Could we fly to the West Coast and back? It looks like I couldn't because I'd be doing too many transcontinental flights. I'm flying back from LA to DC returning from NZ. Do I have that correct?

You're allowed one nonstop transcontinental flight in North America, but there's no restriction in going back and forth if you change planes someplace. For example, you could fly from Auckland to LAX to DC, then if you wanted to go back to the west coast it would take four segments, e.g. DCA-DFW-SFO-ORD-DCA, something like that. If you're thinking about this in addition to adding Chile, you'd have to cut something else out because you'd be exceeding the 16 segment limit.

Another option would be to rearrange the order of things in Asia/NZ by going to NZ first (with just a plane change in Asia) then backtracking to Asia. The reason for this is that there are more direct flights from Asia to US cities that aren't on the west coast, so you could "save" the transcontinental segment for later. Here's an imaginary plan showing this idea, which leaves out SCL - OSL-HEL-TLV-HKG-AKL-HKG-CMB-KUL-DPS-HKG-IAD-LAX-DFW-DCA-JFK-HEL-OSL - which utilizes Cathay Pacific's nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to Hong Kong, and from Hong Kong to Auckland. It also uses Cathay's new nonstop service from Hong Kong to Dulles airport.

I'll also throw out a very different option since you'd like to see Chile. How about adding Easter Island to the mix? OSL-HEL-TLV-HKG-SIN-SYD-AKL-SCL-IPC-SCL-MIA-DCA-LAX-DFW-IAD-LHR-OSL This would require you to cut out segments in Asia (they could be purchased locally quite inexpensively from, say, Singapore) but then goes from Auckland across the Pacific to Chile, backtrack to Easter Island (on many people's bucket list) then home, with flights still left over for a summer trip to the west coast.

Happy New Year. Hope you had a nice holiday season.
After time away from this I want to try and finalize our plans. I’m ready to talk to AA and cost this out. I like the plan you did
OSL-LHR-CMB-KUL-DPS-SYD-AKL-LAX-DCA-JFK-HEL-TLV-HEL-OSL (Map - https://tinyurl.com/y8l4aav7 )
I wanted to know if I can leave NZ from Christchurch instead of AKL. So I would go SYD AKL and then Christchurch to DCA. It would add another segment, but the plan was at 14 so I thought I would be ok.

Yes, you can use the Qantas codeshare on Jetstar's flights from CHC to AKL, connecting to AA's flight to LAX.

You might try to book this using the online tool; it might or might not work, but it will probably give you a good idea of the price. When you talk to the AA RTW desk be patient, because they've had some staffing changes and some of the current crew are not especially skilled at this stuff just yet. Also, if you're using the Finnair flight from JFK to Helsinki, ask for them to book you using the AA code. AA REALLY likes to have the transoceanic sectors of RTWs flown on their own metal, but a codeshare will be okay. You might also think about swapping Madrid for Helsinki on the transatlantic and Israel runs; just to see if the cost difference is big or little (due to different taxes and fees.)

Good luck!

I was able to get through to actually booking on the online tool, but haven't booked yet. What about insurance? I have looked into it upon occasion, but I usually don't get it. However putting out this kind of money so far in advance I want to have insurance should we need to cancel. If my credit card covers cancellation is that good enough?

I suppose it depends on the credit card. Here's what the rules say about cancellations:
Permanent oneworld Explorer fare rules doc.pdf

Another glitch so to speak. The flights from AKL to CHC get the following:
"290: Due to ticketing restrictions you cannot include flights operated by Jetstar. Please remove this segment or change the first sector of your itinerary to an airline other than airberlin, British Airways, Iberia or NIKI." The first segment of the trip is Oslo to London (on BA) to CMB