RTW Booking Advice

[be22er]

Hi Everyone

i've received a lot of advice from the kind folks on this board regarding options for RTW fares and have decided on an itinerary ex-AKL to save around $1300pp.

We are doing N.America first and are planning to do the AA Platinum run as our itinerary is AKL-LAX-LAS, SFO-ORD-JFK-MIA-LIM - all on AA flights. If i book through the AA desk in DFW, will all points for all flights on the trip be credited to my AA account or can i get some of them on my QFF account? I'd like to try and upgrade the leg back into AU to finish the trip in a bit more comfort.

Also, as I am based in AU but starting the trip in AKL, will there be any eyebrows raised if the penultimate flight is into SYD or BRI? I have planned to push the final SYD-AKL leg back to the end of the year for use for a little break.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Danger]

Hi Everyone

i've received a lot of advice from the kind folks on this board regarding options for RTW fares and have decided on an itinerary ex-AKL to save around $1300pp.

We are doing N.America first and are planning to do the AA Platinum run as our itinerary is AKL-LAX-LAS, SFO-ORD-JFK-MIA-LIM - all on AA flights. If i book through the AA desk in DFW, will all points for all flights on the trip be credited to my AA account or can i get some of them on my QFF account? I'd like to try and upgrade the leg back into AU to finish the trip in a bit more comfort.

Also, as I am based in AU but starting the trip in AKL, will there be any eyebrows raised if the penultimate flight is into SYD or BRI? I have planned to push the final SYD-AKL leg back to the end of the year for use for a little break.

Thanks again for your help!

First, you can choose which FF program each flight credits to. The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to input one FF number for the entire booking (probably the one you're likely to use more often than not) and then when you check-in for a flight that you want to attribute to a different program, ask the check-in agent, very clearly, to remove the number for FF program A and input the number for FF program B. Ensure you're clear to the agent that you only want that particular flight's FF number changed and that the boarding pass is printed with the number of the program you want to attribute to. Keep all boarding passes and be prepared for there to be one or two errors that will require chasing up with both airlines (one to have it discredited and the other to have it credited).

Second, if you want to upgrade on a QF flight, you must be booked on the QF number. That is, you can't book on the AA codeshare JFK-LAX (or LAX-SYD etc.) as you won't then be able to upgrade, despite flying on QF metal.

Third, ideally, you should fly the total number of sectors you have booked. From what you've said I think that's what you plan on doing but doing the final X-AKL sector much later. This is perfectly acceptable, provided the final flight sector is taken within 12 months from the date of the last stopover point. For example you could do all your other flights, fly, say LAX-SYD on 1 December and then fly SYD-AKL on 30 November the following year.

 

[Hawkeye]

As mentioned, the ticketing airline (AA in this case) and airline frequent flyer program you decide to assign points to are independent of each other.

Third, ideally, you should fly the total number of sectors you have booked. From what you've said I think that's what you plan on doing but doing the final X-AKL sector much later. This is perfectly acceptable, provided the final flight sector is taken within 12 months from the date of the last stopover point. For example you could do all your other flights, fly, say LAX-SYD on 1 December and then fly SYD-AKL on 30 November the following year.

For clarification, I think the xONEx rule is that the flight segment from your final stopover point must commence within 12 months of initial departure. Therefore, the duration of the entire itinerary cannot exceed 12 months.

 

[serfty]

As mentioned, the ticketing airline (AA in this case) and airline frequent flyer program you decide to assign points to are independent of each other. ...

For clarification, I think the xONEx rule is that the flight segment from your final stopover point must commence within 12 months of initial departure. Therefore, the duration of the entire itinerary cannot exceed 12 months.

200% correct ...

 

[Danger]

My apologies. I had misread the rule.

 

[be22er]

Thanks to all for their invaluable advice. We are finalising credit cards to maximise points earn (another matter entirely!) and hope to book next week.

We are hoping to leave in late May and can not wait!

 

[Hawkeye]

Out of interest, what's the full itinerary?

(If you don't mind sharing, of course)

 

[be22er]

We are starting our RTW in NZ to save around AU$2.5k and it takes us from AKL-LAX-LAS-SFO-ORD-JFK-MIA-LIM-CUZ-LIM-IGU-GIG-LHR-HKG-BKK-SYD and then the final leg to AKL at some point thereafter. We are planning some surface sectors and some side trips to Paris, Siem Reap and coughet as well.
It's going to be a bit whistlestop as we are cramming a lot in but the advice here and the oneworld planning tool have been invaluable.