RTW 2.5x - a DONE4 with stops in NYC, London and Italy (HCO only)

[PrezRegan]

Join me on my latest adventure: a DONE4 ex-Japan clocking ~60,000 miles—about 2.5 laps of the globe (including positioning). For the avgeeks, I’ll share J-class takes on JL, QF, BA, AA and AS, plus how I booked what’s turned out to be an extremely cost-effective ticket. Also, stand by for the obligatory lounge tours and inflight food reviews.

Not every sector is glamorous—some are pure SC runs (multiple AUS–NZ hops and a few “touch the edges of the US without leaving the airport” specials). But it’s not all for status: I’ve lined up proper stops in New York, London and Italy, and there may be a cheeky train review.

I’ve flown most of these carriers before, but Alaska Airlines (to ANC) is new to me, and I’ve never done AA long-haul (that’ll be LAX–LHR).

Accommodation is mostly hotels with a couple of Airbnbs in Italy. It’s a month-long journey kicking off today at the AFF Masterclass. No Michelin-starred bookings (yet), but I won’t be slumming it. Hotels are mainly IHG and Accor, so expect reiews of rooms and gyms.

Also quick edit to mention that I will be doing this as a HCO - so we'll see how well I'm dressing in a month!

Flights from HND–HND are the 16 DONE4 segments; anything before/after is a points-booked positioning leg.

AFF Masterclass / Positioning
• 6 Sep – CBR → SYD (QF1432)
• 7 Sep – SYD → HND (QF59)

Status runs to NZ
• 9 Sep – HND → SIN (JL35 / QF4026)
• 9–10 Sep – SIN → SYD (QF2)
• 10 Sep – SYD → AKL (QF3)
• 10 Sep – AKL → SYD (QF146)
• 11 Sep – SYD → CHC (QF137)
• 11 Sep – CHC → SYD (QF136)
• 12 Sep – SYD → AKL (QF3)
• 12–13 Sep – AKL → JFK (QF3)

USA mileage runs (with brief NYC & LA time)
• 16 Sep – JFK → SFO (AA15)
• 17 Sep – SFO → DFW (AA1949)
• 17 Sep – DFW → ANC (AA399)
• 17–18 Sep – ANC → LAX (AS192)

London & Italy
• 19–20 Sep – LAX → LHR (AA134)
• 22 Sep – LHR → FCO (BA560 / AA6683)
• 29 Sep – FCO → LHR (BA547)

Back to Japan
• 30 Sep – LHR → SIN (QF2)
• 1 Oct – SIN → HND (JL38)

Positioning flights home
• 2–3 Oct – NRT → BNE (QF62)
• 3 Oct – BNE → CBR (QF1905)

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Following along!

 

[PrezRegan]

Whilst I wait for my now-doubly-delayed hop from CBR–SYD for the AFF masterclass, I may as well cover some preliminaries on booking the mythical DONE4 (Oneworld Explorer). Until joining AFF I’d never even heard of one, and I’d certainly never booked one before. I did manage a QF RTW last year in a mix of J and F, which on paper looks similar, but the rules make this a very different beast.

I won’t rehash the basics of the Oneworld Explorer (there are excellent guides on AFF that explain the mechanics far better than I could), but here are a few pointers from my own experience:

• Know the rules inside out. Pay attention to how continents are defined, what counts as a segment, and the quirks of crossing America from coast to coast.
• Ex-Japan is much cheaper than ex-Australia, though it does mean you need to get yourself to Japan first.
• Japan is particularly handy for SC runs, since starting there gives you more flexibility to bounce across AUS/NZ under the rules regarding returning to your originating continent .
• Availability is still a challenge. D-class space is more plentiful than awards, but you’ll still run into constraints. For instance, my LAX–LHR and LHR–SIN dates were the only ones available within weeks either side, so you may need to be flexible or build around key flights.
• Get a good agent. In theory you can book online via the oneworld site, but in practice it crashes constantly and often tries to funnel you into a Global Explorer (a different fare entirely). My agent worked miracles pulling this together — it was an emotional journey, but we got there.

In terms of my prep, as mentioned above I'll be doing HCO. In my experience AA has been quite particular about enforcing the carry-on limits for domestic flights, even for premium passengers. Rather than rolling with what I did last time (July carry-on, garment bag and backpack) I'll be going with carry-on and backpack only. I've used vacuum bags to save space but am hoping that the weather staysy warm as predicted as I have nothing thicker than a hoodie packed.

 

[Mr_Tee]

In a tightly compressed itinerary like this one what would happen, at a practical level, if one of the early flights (say "9–10 Sep – SIN → SYD (QF2)") was cancelled/delayed 24 hours?

 

[PrezRegan]

In a tightly compressed itinerary like this one what would happen, at a practical level, if one of the early flights (say "9–10 Sep – SIN → SYD (QF2)") was cancelled/delayed 24 hours?

I’d have to defer to my travel agent for the best answer but I’d expect qantas to either sort it or give me ORC. Given the NZ legs are all just for status I personally wouldn’t be too sad if that happened and I didn’t have to fly as long as I got the SCs!

 

[moa999]

Impressive doing all of that in such a short period. Been a while since my last DONE but I'd always managed to split them.

And had always booked via AA due to their superior call centre in the day.