Structuring a RTW for max advantage

[SheikYerbouti]

So next Feb-Apr I will need to travel around the world for several weeks, and before I get the agent to start planning legs for me, I thought that the brains trust here might be able to help with how to maximise benefits/status when doing this.

I'm currently Velocity Plat with Virgin Aus but will drop to Gold before taking this trip. I would like to maximise access to luggage allowance, lounge, priority check-in, and if possible cash upgrades (I have 150k VFF points now, and another 80-100k due) likely from economy to at least premium economy.

My itinterary will be US west coast - US east coast - UK - Portugal - Netherlands - Sweden - Australia.... I can also shuffle the order of the 4 Euro legs. This trip is paid for by a third party (not my employer) and I am not likely to be seeking the lowest possible flight prices, in terms of long layovers or 3rd tier airlines, but unsure if I'll be getting basic or flexible economy.

I am unsure if VA flight codes will be doable (I need 200 SCs from VFF on trips I have flown myself to requalify as Gold). But maybe there are Status Match programs around on other alliances where I can gain status for a pilot period, using it for this trip and extending it.

I have a couple of months or more to plan this, so please - hit me with suggestions!

 

[RooFlyer]

Carrier/FF program agnostic, but doing DONE4s I maximised SC earn by, for example, from Australia arrive east coast of USA, then worked westwards, then departed Nth America from west coast, to go as far east as I could get in Europe (usually Doha), worked westwards across Europe again, departed from western point in Europe to eastern point in Asia. Those extra-long flights between continents earned very well.

But of course that was fixed cost for X segments (airport fees and carrier charges varied); it'll probably increase your cost quite a bit, but maybe still within bounds.