How much did you pay for DONE4 + tax?

[Chucksta]

If you are looking for a cheaper DONEx (than ex-AUST) there are also a few other places around SE Asia that are cheaper then ex-JAPAN ... CMB, MNL, DPS, ICN - there's been some discussion on these in other threads.

Thanks for the advice.

I just checked the price for a DONE4 ex Indonesia!

US$6779 + tax, which is around $7400 AUD..

Hmm decisions decisions... Has anyone here booked a DONE4 ex Jakarta? My wife is from Jakarta but she told me the travel agents want CASH in USD for airfares.

Is there a way to book a DONE4 through the AA ARTW desk starting in Jakarta and pay for it by credit card over the phone with an AA office?

 

[Keith009]

Is there a way to book a DONE4 through the AA ARTW desk starting in Jakarta and pay for it by credit card over the phone with an AA office?

There isn't an AA ticketing presence in Indonesia. Unless you really need the AA ticket stock for upgrades and the like, I'd suggest contacting CX as the +++ with CX isn't that much more IMO. Some CX offices will insist on having your first outbound international segment on CX.

You could also try getting the Indonesian fare with AA via AA Canada or a Canadian TA.

 

[JohnM]

Very interesting info. coming through.

My xONEx is always 20 sectors, so it has to be a paper ticket under current arrangements.

Also, I do not split it. I have six weeks each year to do it, so I want to be on the way from the get-go.

For the present I think I'll stick with doing the arrangements in Australia, despite the extra $$ required.

 

[Dave Noble]

Very interesting info. coming through.

My xONEx is always 20 sectors, so it has to be a paper ticket under current arrangements.

Also, I do not split it. I have six weeks each year to do it, so I want to be on the way from the get-go.

For the present I think I'll stick with doing the arrangements in Australia, despite the extra $$ required.

Do be aware that the OWE is expected to drop to max 16 sectors soon

Compared with QF fines, it can still save a fair bit to book initially an itinerary with 16 sectors and just pay the $125 change fee to add in the extra sectors later

Dave

 

[JohnM]

Do be aware that the OWE is expected to drop to max 16 sectors soon

I had hoped that the capacity to write e-tickets would be increased to allow the 20 sectors. It seems from what you're saying that they would rather crimp OWE to fit the 16 sector e-ticket max?

Is there any expectation of a pro-rata reduction in the price if OWE drops to 16 sectors? Maybe that's too much to ask?

Any other little OWE surprises in the wind?

In a similar vein, has anyone got info. on what sorts of reward or status-crimping surprises that we might expect with revisions to the QFF Program?

 

[NM]

Is there any expectation of a pro-rata reduction in the price if OWE drops to 16 sectors? Maybe that's too much to ask?

No such expectation at all. It will be "sold" as an "enhancement" to the product :evil: .

 

[serfty]

I had hoped that the capacity to write e-tickets would be increased to allow the 20 sectors. It seems from what you're saying that they would rather crimp OWE to fit the 16 sector e-ticket max?

Is there any expectation of a pro-rata reduction in the price if OWE drops to 16 sectors? Maybe that's too much to ask?

Any other little OWE surprises in the wind?

The oneworld forum on FlyerTalk has a new member, oneworld4u, who is fully aware of the workings on the oneworld products.

That person has advised that xONEx's will soon be restricted to 16 segments due to "an industry-wide change" being mandated by IATA. (Even though I am aware this is not necessary due to "linked PNR's" being mandated by IATA this year as well.)

To answer some of your initial questions…

Viajero asked whether a change is planned to oneworld Explorer fare’s 20 sector limit. The simple answer to that is yes – and we believe all other RTW fares face the same issue. The reason is that the technological standard adopted by the airline industry (through IATA) for electronic tickets cannot handle tickets for more than 16 sectors. The industry moves fully into an era of electronic tickets only from June. Tickets already sold by then for journeys of 16 to 20 sectors would of course remain valid. We are working on a formal announcement now, and this should be posted soon. While Viajero and a number of other FTers may use Explorer for journeys of between 16 to 20 sectors, you are in a very very small minority. The new restriction will impact on a tiny percentage of customers. Even so, it’s a shame anyone should be impacted. Over time, as technology advances, we hope this industry-wide restriction will be eased.

Here's a thread to ask some questions in regard to this issue:

• Questions for official oneworld representative, oneworld4u

In a similar vein, has anyone got info. on what sorts of reward or status-crimping surprises that we might expect with revisions to the QFF Program?

From posts here on AFF and on the Qantas FT forum I believe the competition is too hot for Qantas to dilute the QFF scheme much further. Minimal structural changes are foreseen in combination with the introduction of anytime awards (at a premium rate).

 

[serfty]

Very interesting info. coming through.

My xONEx is always 20 sectors, so it has to be a paper ticket under current arrangements.

Also, I do not split it. I have six weeks each year to do it, so I want to be on the way from the get-go.

For the present I think I'll stick with doing the arrangements in Australia, despite the extra $$ required.

In this context, splitting is irrelevant. I's up to you if you wish to spend additional for the same journeys.

The comfort/(percieved)reliability of deal with a familiar service provider may be worth it to you.

That's why I am still 100% with QFF rather tha AAdvantage (FWIW, if all my upgrades come though in June, it's going to cost more in QFF points for the upgrades than what it would have cost in AAdvantage miles to book the entire journey as an award in J!)