DCIR22 Help

[pleitnes]

Hi All,

My wife and I are just starting to plan a trip to the US in the coming months. We are planning to book the DCIR22/26 fare (NM has posted so many messages raving about this fare, we just couldn't resist ). I was hoping someone could help us out by filling in some details regarding our options.

The trip will be starting in Perth. We absolutely have to get to San Francisco. Everything other than this is open to discussion. We are considering the following options: Honolulu, New York, Vancouver, Toronto and Hong Kong. Which of these is likely to make sense?

While we don't want to make this a mileage run, we would like to get value for money and see some cities and sites we would otherwise not get to. Is there any other places that fit nicely into the DCIR22/26 that are "must see" places?

I am currently QFF Gold and travel enough domestically each year to maintain gold. We will probably be taking this trip just after my QFF year rolls over, so no platinum for me just yet :cry:

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Scott

 

[QF WP]

My wife and I are just starting to plan a trip to the US in the coming months. We are planning to book the DCIR22/26 fare (NM has posted so many messages raving about this fare, we just couldn't resist ). I was hoping someone could help us out by filling in some details regarding our options.

Where's NM when you need him?? (away on a Easter break with the NM's probably). I'd love to take up a DCIR22/26 as well - they are well worth the ravings Sorry, I'm no expert yet, still to book and take one...

I presume you have read the DCIR22/26 infomation on the oneworld site (and conveniently posted in The ULTIMATE Qantas thread).

The trip will be starting in Perth.

Oh yeah baby 8) , great points & SC's using this as your point of origin.

We absolutely have to get to San Francisco. Everything other than this is open to discussion. We are considering the following options: Honolulu, New York, Vancouver, Toronto and Hong Kong. Which of these is likely to make sense?

I love HKG and would think this might be a great place for you to go. Similarly JFK and YVR (Vancouver). Only transited through YYZ (Toronto) once, so can't comment on this city...

I am currently QFF Gold and travel enough domestically each year to maintain gold. We will probably be taking this trip just after my QFF year rolls over, so no platinum for me just yet

But puts your re-qual for Gold under your belt early and the Dom travel might take you over. Your wife should also make Silver in a canter and depending on how you stretch it (to a 26), close to Gold herself.

 

[NM]

NM reporting for duty. Yes, I was away for an Easter break with the family, enjoying the cultural experience that is AGMF in Toowoomba over the Easter weekend.

SFO is going to be fairly easy to achieve in one of two ways. I would look to use it as the entry/exit over the North Pacific, giving you options of CX to/from HKG or AA using NRT-SJC (SJC is an easy drive from San Franciso so long as you avoid rush hour on the freeway).

Using CX to/from HKG adds about 600 miles to the routing when comparing SFO-HKG-PER with SJC-NRT-PER. So think about which point you want to use in Asia, remembering you can stopover there as well. You can in fact do both by routing SJC-NRT-HKG-PER for only about 70 miles further than SFO-HKG-PER.

YVR is more difficult on a OneWorld fare since the AA flights from LAX/SFO up the west coast are codeshares with AS, so hence not eligible for the DCIR22 fare. You can only get to YVR (and SEA) from DFW or ORD adding considerably to the miles, and since starting in PER you need to be careful with the routing. You can use YVR as the entry/exit via HKG but it does rule out NRT.

Your shortest way to the USA is PER-BNE-LAX (9,407 miles) and shortest return is SJC-NRT-PER (10,073 miles). This only leaves you 2,500 miles for travel within the USA. That only gives you a few options:

• stay pretty much on the west coast
• buy the DCIR26 fare (26,000 miles)
• pay for a separate PER-BNE-PER and start the DCIR22 from BNE

Once you go to the 26,000 mile fare, the difference to get to a DONE4 RTW fare is not much (DONE4=$9539, DCIR26=$8579) and the SC's and points available to you are much greater. My travel in April/May won't fit into a DCIR22 so I am using a DONE4 and earning over 1000 SC's without maximising the routing in any way - in fact I am only using 13 out of possible 20 sectors (shh, don't tell anyone, but I want to get home to the family as soon as possible).

 

[thadocta]

Despite being the occasional purveyor of such knowledge, I am often amazed at how much knowledge and information is provided by members of this - and other - boards. I wonder whether the info provided by NM would have been available via a travel agent (probably not) and whether boards like this - and other boards - will ultimately replace travel agents redundant, or at the very least reduce what they can charge since you would have done most of their work for them.

Dave

 

[serfty]

Despite being the occasional purveyor of such knowledge, I am often amazed at how much knowledge and information is provided by members of this - and other - boards. I wonder whether the info provided by NM would have been available via a travel agent (probably not) and whether boards like this - and other boards - will ultimately replace travel agents redundant, or at the very least reduce what they can charge since you would have done most of their work for them.

Dave

I'd suggest that any travel agent worth their commi$$ion would keep a close eye on this and similar sites.

Just had a work associate (groom) return from honeymoon steaming about having to fork out an extra $400 in duty/excise as over alcohol limit & that video camera did cost over $2000. I had warned him but his travel agent told her (bride) it would be ok.

 

[NM]

I'd suggest that any travel agent worth their commi$$ion would keep a close eye on this and similar sites.

Maybe we should start asking the TA's for a share of the commission? Then again, the commissions have dropped so much that we now find the lack of knowledge and information is similarly reflected :twisted: .