Give me your best OWE Itinerary

[Hawkeye]

Here's one I just put together,

CBR-SYD-LAX-EWR-ORD-MIA-JFK-LHR-BUD-LHR-SIN-HKG-NRT-HKG-SIN-SYD-CBR

Have you considered:

CBR-SYD-JFK-MIA-ORD-EWR-LAX-LHR-BUD-LHR-HKG-NRT-SIN-SYD-(CBR-SYD)-PER-ADL-CBR

The SYD-CBR-SYD could be a cheap Y ticket to get you home to CBR, prior to resuming travel at a later date for a nice transcontinental to PER in J. You also pick up bonus SC's by flying across the US continent two extra times (on arrival and departure).

Comes out to 1670 SC's (+20 for SYD-CBR-SYD).

 

[harvyk]

I did consider doing CBR - SYD as a cheap Y. The OWE site automatically placed in the CBR - SYD leg when I selected CBR - NY.

 

[Voyages]

If you really want some good routes, have a look at this thread from FlyerTalk:

RTW ticket, longest routings ?? [On 16 segment rules] - FlyerTalk Forums

Thanks for the tip serfty. Looks like I am having a LLONE4 and a LHONE5 next year (due to trans-continental & consecutive meetings). Will check with the AFF experts again once things are confirmed :idea:

 

[beardoc]

Just been playing around with this. Decided to do a DONE3 from ICN and do a positioning flight (which on MH at the moment is SYD-KUL-ICN return for $858.87). It's far from "optimised" but it's places that I actually want to go.

ICN-HEL-MAD-LHR-DME-AMM-ORD-SFO-DFW-ANC-DFW-SFO-JFK-HKG-BOM-HKG-ICN (you can see it on Mileagemonkey if you like)

MileageMonkey tells me it's 1580SC, which if I factor in the F cabins on the US segments, comes to 1850SC (270 in SC bonuses due to booking in A instead of D).

Since it's a DONE3, then it's only 5,686,200 South Korean Won, or AU$5962.76 (or AU$3.22/SC, not factoring in the taxes).

Factoring in the 20SC I have now (I just clicked over my membership year with QFF), I'll cross PS by the time I get to DME (sector 4), SG by SFO (sector 7) and then WP by JFK (sector 12), just in time to get the 100% bonus on the JFK-HKG flight!

All for $6821.63 (not including the DONE3 taxes - but since I'll book with a TA out of ICN, hopefully I can avoid the fuel surcharges, right? Any advice on TAs over there?

If only I could fly this right now - I should be studying for my exams instead. I could easily fly enough domestic for the rest of the year to get me to PG!

Anyone got any advice on what RJ D is like?

 

[beardoc]

Another quick question - if you have a flight that is a single flight number and is marked "direct" on the OW Interactive Map but it has a stop (i.e. BOS-SEA), do you use up only one segment for that flight, or two?

 

[beardoc]

Re: Give me your best OWE itinerary! Prize for best entry!

Whats the cost for doing a DONE4 , is there a rough price to work with?

The cheapest prices at the moment are if you can do your itineraries ex-South Korea (ICN) or South Africa - however you have to factor in the positioning flights too.

For me, the savings via ICN more than pay for the positioning flights.

 

[serfty]

Another quick question - if you have a flight that is a single flight number and is marked "direct" on the OW Interactive Map but it has a stop (i.e. BOS-SEA), do you use up only one segment for that flight, or two?

One segment ... but it does depend on ensuring it's ticketed properly.

e.g. If you have ticketed QF107 SYD-JFK that counts as one segment; if ticketed QF107 SYD-LAX and QF107 LAX-JFK that's two. (Although you may fall foul of "Married Segment" rules if on the same day.)

 

[tuapekastar]

Factoring in the 20SC I have now (I just clicked over my membership year with QFF), I'll cross PS by the time I get to DME (sector 4), SG by SFO (sector 7) and then WP by JFK (sector 12), just in time to get the 100% bonus on the JFK-HKG flight!

Will you have accumulated the 4 QF segments (metal or codeshare) required in this membership year in order to move through the status levels on this trip?

 

[huwcar]

This xONE4 ex-SYD doesn't seem bad...

syd-jfk-yvr-mex-lhr-amm-mad-dme-lhr-nrt-del-hkg-bom-hkg-akl-mel-syd

53744 miles, 430 SC in economy.

I used MM to create it... hope I did it right!

 

[djfuzz]

All for $6821.63 (not including the DONE3 taxes - but since I'll book with a TA out of ICN, hopefully I can avoid the fuel surcharges, right? Any advice on TAs over there?

I had this issue of trying to minimise +++ too.

Which airline's paper will you be ticketing on? Pretty much all of them except AA charge about $1000 extra in +++ (even AA is about $500-odd, depending on where your itinerary takes you). The problem with AA is that their agent in ICN won't issue the ticket unless you are physically there to do so.

A number of FTers have several workarounds that involve either setting up the itinerary through the AA RTW desk, then going to ICN or Canada to get a AA agent there to issue the ticket; or they may have some agent contacts in Canada or Korea who are good to deal with that may assist.

I didn't have the time or the information to do any of the above, so I was limited to the online planner - the consequence of which was that I had to book ICN-NRT- to the US on AA and could not book an ANC leg. To be honest, I think you should get on it right away if you want to fly DFW-ANC, because availability on that leg is pretty scant - and don't come up at all if you try to set the itinerary up on the online planner.

Also - where did you get the MH positioning flight prices from? They're very good.

 

[beardoc]

I had this issue of trying to minimise +++ too.

Which airline's paper will you be ticketing on? Pretty much all of them except AA charge about $1000 extra in +++ (even AA is about $500-odd, depending on where your itinerary takes you). The problem with AA is that their agent in ICN won't issue the ticket unless you are physically there to do so.

A number of FTers have several workarounds that involve either setting up the itinerary through the AA RTW desk, then going to ICN or Canada to get a AA agent there to issue the ticket; or they may have some agent contacts in Canada or Korea who are good to deal with that may assist.

I'd be ticketing via AA - there's a thread about this on FT for those that don't know: AONEx From ICN Reservation made with AA - FlyerTalk Forums

Options include TA in South Korea, AA ATW desk or CDN TA. All have their advantages and disadvantages - if anyone reading is not sure, I'd suggest reading that thread above.

I didn't have the time or the information to do any of the above, so I was limited to the online planner - the consequence of which was that I had to book ICN-NRT- to the US on AA and could not book an ANC leg. To be honest, I think you should get on it right away if you want to fly DFW-ANC, because availability on that leg is pretty scant - and don't come up at all if you try to set the itinerary up on the online planner.

I was able to find availability in A on the AMEX/ITN tool: Class Availability Airline Flight Reservations

Also - where did you get the MH positioning flight prices from? They're very good.

There's an MH sale on right now. I know that this wouldn't be the price that I'll get when I book it, but I might instead use a QF positioning flight and then take advantage of the WP benefits on the way home (extra baggage, etc.)

 

[beardoc]

Managed to get just a little more out of the DONE3 ex ICN

ICN-HEL-MAD-LHR-MCT-LHR-DFW-ANC-DFW-SEA-ORD-SFO-JFK-HKG-BOM-HKG-ICN

1890SC - which will mean another 20K FF miles due to loyalty bonuses, too.

 

[beardoc]

And now this one, a DONE4 ex-ICN allowing me to break in SYD again with flights to PER, MEL, TYO and back to ICN for my next DONE4. It'll allow me to break the journey nicely and go to places I've always wanted to go.

ICN-HEL-MAD-DME-ORD-SFO-DFW-ANC-DFW-SEA-JFK-SYD-DRW-PER-MEL-TYO-ICN

1910 SC in total

(Edit: Forgive me - MEL-TYO is discontinued, so I'd have to go:

ICN-HEL-MAD-DME-ORD-SFO-DFW-ANC-DFW-SEA-JFK-SYD-DRW-PER-MEL-HKG-ICN

but it doesn't change the total number of SCs, so this is OK - and I get to go to the CX Wing or the Pier in HKG as a WP, as well as the MEL F lounge, which I haven't been to yet!)

This itinerary allows me to fly into SYD as a WP with 1590SC (or if I do a quick KUPP in the US ex-SFO then I could be WP before I leave JFK - would that be worth it, I wonder?) then do the rest of the journey later. This might prove a better option than the DONE3 if I feel that I'm going to be doing more of these out of ICN in the future.

Oh, and with a stop in PER, I could use my Amex Platinum CC free flight from PER-SYD-PER which would allow me another break in my journey!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Oh, and with a stop in PER, I could use my Amex Platinum CC free flight from PER-SYD-PER which would allow me another break in my journey!

Though to do that don't you have to be resident in Perth or WA? ?

(Otherwise you are restricted to short flights like MEL-BNE or MEL-SYD).

PS: Thanks for the great routes.

 

[beardoc]

Though to do that don't you have to be resident in Perth or WA? ?

(Otherwise you are restricted to short flights like MEL-BNE or MEL-SYD).

PS: Thanks for the great routes.

No - it doesn't matter at all where you're a resident for the Platinum CC - it's all based purely on your departure city. So you can do PER-SYD-PER, but not SYD-PER-SYD. Not even residents of WA can book SYD-PER-SYD as a free flight on the Amex Platinum CC.

But to remain on topic, any other suggestions, guys?

AMM is a useful point on these itineraries and I'm keen to visit, albeit the travel advisories from the Australian government suggest avoiding it. MCT is good for SC, but a little boring - you can only go LHR-MCT and then back via AMM or back to LHR.

I find the online interactive map on the oneworld site most useful for just getting an idea of how it all looks and to see flights I might have missed.

 

[Voyages]

ICN-HEL-MAD-DME-ORD-SFO-DFW-ANC-DFW-SEA-JFK-SYD-DRW-PER-MEL-TYO-ICN

1910 SC in total

Are there such direct flights DFW-ANC/ ANC-DFW?

 

[serfty]

Are there such direct flights DFW-ANC/ ANC-DFW?

Yep, but they are seasonal only.

They generally start around late spring (~May) and finish in Autumn (~October).

 

[tuapekastar]

Are there such direct flights DFW-ANC/ ANC-DFW?

Seasonal non-stops (warmer months only).

 

[djfuzz]

beardoc - what flights have you found from MEL to Tokyo?

 

[serfty]

Methinks MM allows this - it hasn't been told that QF no longer flies the route like they did six months ago.