The Big DONE4 Planning thread

[simongr]

Thanks guys for the depressing warning about TBIT arrivals Mind you I get in a little later so maybe the first couple of thousand people will be through

 

[NM]

Re: Tipping at A/C; it is optional. Sometimes they seem suprised when an Aussie does so, but always appear grateful.

Funnily enough, the drink vouchers are made of a thickish paper that has almost exactly the same dimensions as a USD1 note.

I think it depends a little on the location. LAX obviously gets a lot of QF passengers and so a fair number of Aussies who are not used to tipping. Some other places are less Aussiefied and if you don't tip on he first drink you can get pretty stone cold service from them onwards.

 

[d15.in.oz]

...Some other places are less Aussiefied and if you don't tip on he first drink you can get pretty stone cold service from them onwards...

So, let's assume NOT T4 LAX, given that the flying kangaroo has the same prominence as the spread eagle on entrance… :evil:
I expect free – and that means no tip in a QP! [p.s. hint in LAX without Flagship is – turn left, go past the loos and the section on the right is less busy…it’s a hike from the bar but worth it!]

 

[alect]

Thanks guys for the depressing warning about TBIT arrivals Mind you I get in a little later so maybe the first couple of thousand people will be through

I have arrived in early and mid afternoon and been through immig and out in 10 mins. it is really the luck of the draw of arrivals. Also helps to have a green card/US passport and not be treated like a criminal :mrgreen:.

 

[alect]

Biggest challenge will be at LAX - 7 hours with nothing to do but drink and snooze... I will be surprised if they let me on the next flight...

Although not travelling on the same flights I do in LAX. And the wife and kid are out of town in VA that weekend (Mar 17) so I am sorta free. Depending on what you would be interested in doing, I could meet you at LAX and help you leave it for a few hours - even the FL gets old after and hour or two. I'm also not sure of your flight times - are you arriving on CX882 and out on AA276?

QF WP has had the above "meet/greet" service at LAX.

PM/email me and we can see if we can work something out.

 

[simongr]

Thanks - I will pm shortly (probably over the weekend now that I have internet at home again).

Next question

Ok - check in (I will deal with baggage later). Given that between first flight and the start of the 4th flight is about 37 hours I am "concerned" that I wont be able to check in for my last (or last couple of) flight(s). If I cant check in that might mean rechecking in at LAX?

I will be able to go online in HKG so in theory could check in on line - but not sure there is any benefit to that - seats are preallocated and I am in F and I cant exactly check my baggage in online

Any thoughts or tips?

 

[NM]

Thanks - I will pm shortly (probably over the weekend now that I have internet at home again).

Next question

Ok - check in (I will deal with baggage later). Given that between first flight and the start of the 4th flight is about 37 hours I am "concerned" that I wont be able to check in for my last (or last couple of) flight(s). If I cant check in that might mean rechecking in at LAX?

I will be able to go online in HKG so in theory could check in on line - but not sure there is any benefit to that - seats are preallocated and I am in F and I cant exactly check my baggage in online

Any thoughts or tips?

Your bags will be checked through to the final destination. The initial check-in process may not be able to print your boarding passes, so you may have to collect them at some point along the way. But I would not be at all concerned about that - it is common and never been a problem for me. I regularly have to collect on-going boarding passes at places like HKG Transfer Desk, LHR Flight Connections and LAX T4 for AA connections.

Remember there are three distinct and somewhat separate parts to the process:

• Baggage Check-in - tagged to final destination
• Passenger Check-in (either an airport of on-line)
• Printing boarding pass

Just because you have not yet been isused a boardpass does not mean you are not checked-in or that your bags cannot be tagged to your final destination.

 

[simongr]

Thanks NM - certainly makes me a little more relaxed now.

I am really looking forward to checkin (although the Cathay check in counters at SYD are in the coughpiest area and look shabby) and the shocked face of the check in staff:

Check in staff [CIS]: Morning mr simongr where are you flying to today?
simongr: Orlando
CIS: But we dont fly to Orlando
simongr: Umm, its Orlando via Hong Kong, LAX and Miam...

Now if only I could score a free upgrade to F on Cathay

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

IIRC I've had bags checked through for a series of flights over more than 40 hours.

Funniest reaction I've had at check in was trying to get boarding passes at SIN to go to CDG. I was going via CGK (twice), BKK and SIN (a few times).

I have some interesting domestic itineraries coming up (6 or 7 flights in a day), wonder what the reaction will be to them.

 

[simongr]

Question the Third - Baggage

Ok I have done some reserach already and worked out my baggage allowances for the following trips (i.e. chucnks where I plan to check bags through):

SYD-HKG-LAX(CX)-MIA-MCO-LGA (AA): 2x32KG followed by 2x23KG
JFK-BGI-LGW (onAA/BA club world)):2x23KG followed by 3x23KG
LGW-PFO (on BA club europe):2x23KG
LCA-LHR-HKG-SYD (on BA club europe, CX, QF): 2x23KG, 2x32Kg, 30(+10KG)

Ordinarily I wouldnt be overly concerned about baggage limits but there are a few twists this time. I have tried to find out from the AA site what their policy is on baggage checked through from other carriers but couldnt find it on their site.

There is this quote from the BA site

Connecting flights
You will receive the most generous allowance on connecting journeys with British Airways, where you have purchased one ticket your whole journey (a through ticket).
Where separate tickets have been purchased for a connection, the individual allowances will apply.
When travelling with more than one carrier, for example British Airways and Qantas, the baggage policy of the operating carrier for the first sector in each direction will apply. It is possible that there will be a different carrier operating the first sector of your trip on the outbound and on the return. In this case a different baggage policy may apply to each direction

Which implies that for say the JFK-BGI-LGW flight I will get the lesser AA allowance due to that being my first flight.

I cant believe how low the baggage allowance is on QF - people are complaining about the BA changes and in business on QF you get a massive 16kg less (except for the extra for QF SG/WP).

In the above flights then I assume I will get the bolded allowances?

The challenge is that I want to minimise hand luggage on the initial flights so will only have my laptop bag. Inside my main suitcase is my larger roller case that I will use for JFK-BGI-LGW-PFO due to the single bag rule out of LHR. My parents also would like me to take a brieffcase that I am giving my father to them in PFO - so that will have to go in my suitcase potentially... I need therefore to be a little more concious of my luggage allowances than normal...

Any thoughts/comments not on the craziness of taking two bags of bags...

 

[Dave Noble]

If the whole trip is part of the DONE4 ticket, then the piece allowance will apply throughout so you will be entitled to 2*32 on the QF flight at the end

If you stick to 2*23Kg , then you will be fine for the whole journey

Dave

 

[NM]

I cant believe how low the baggage allowance is on QF - people are complaining about the BA changes and in business on QF you get a massive 16kg less (except for the extra for QF SG/WP).

If the QF flight is part of the DONE4 ticket, then the entire itinerary will be permitted 2 pieces, as will be noted on the ticket. The variation between airlines is then that AA and BA will limit each piece to 23kg/50lb while the others permit 32kg/70lb. So the QF limit will be 2 x 32kg checked bags plus any additional QF FF benefits.

In my experience, the weight limits are imposed by the carrier with whom you check the bags. So if you check the bags with QF for a QF-BA connection, you will be allowed 2 x 32Kg per the QF weight limits per piece and the lower BA limits will not be enforced. However, if you checked in with BA and connected to QF, it would be the lower BA weight limits that apply.

Don't rely on what each airline says they permit for business class travel. The baggage allowance for a OneWorld Explorer is always 2 pieces as this is specified in the fare rules and printed in the ticket. The airline's individual allowances for business class travel only apply if you purchase a business class fare from them such as a point-to-point or return trip, not for products like OneWorld Explorer where the baggage allowance is specified in the fare rules.

Note the OneWorld Explorer fare rules only specify that the allowance is 2 pieces of checked baggage. Each airline is free to impose any weight limits on those pieces, and BA/AA impose 23Kg/50lb per piece while others impose 32kg/70lb limits.

 

[simongr]

Cheers NM/DN - I shall aim for 2x23- that should allow for plenty of gifts outbound and plenty of PG Tips and Ruffles SOur Cream and Onion potato chips

There was a bunch of stuff about hand luggage but that has gone now

 

[Chucksta]

Is the DONE4 an Eticket or paper ticket?

Can someone please show a scan of the ticket when you book? Does it have particular flight refs?

My wife has to apply for visas to most non-asian countries.

 

[simongr]

This DONE4 and my last DONE4 were both paper. Not sure what the driver for that was. There was discussion in my last DONE4 thread about why that was paper - this one they actually couriered the tix from my NY office...

I will see what I can regarding scanning it.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I could have sworn I posted here today. Must be losing it.


Edited to add. Seeing some other posts from earlier today have also disappeared I am guessing it is related to the outage earlier. Oh well.

 

[simongr]

OK - in a major rethink I am considering changing my itinerary from LAX. Currently LAX-MIA-MCO. Arrive LAX 1:50PM, leave 9:25PM and get to MCO (via MIA) at 8:45AM.

I am jusst trying to figure out if there is another option. I am trying some revisions in terms of timing such as LAS/DFW/PHX and cnat anything to work. I dont mind a red eye flight (I have one anyway) and it would be great to go direct rather than via MIAsome how - nothing seems to work. I could in tehory govia dominican republic - but that would mean two trips via US immigration in a day..

Any thoughts?

 

[NM]

If you are tying to avoid the connection between landing in the USA and MCO, then you have few choices:

• Overnight at LAX and catch the once-a-day non-stop LAX-MCO as AA244
• Take CX into JFK and connect to AA1329 LGA-MCO. This involves a transfer from JFK to LGA

Depending on the timing, I would choose to overnight at LAX and take a nice daytime non-stop to MCO after a decent hotel-room sleep.

 

[simongr]

INteresting options - I was thinking LAX-JFk-SDQ-MCO. Its a combination of avoiding the log wait at LAX. Not sure that the JFK-LGA tarnsfer would be much fun though.

Partially trying to maintain miles flown per original plan and drop the LGA-ORD-LGA flights i have scheduled currently.

I considered LAX-ORD-MCO - but that is in fact worse than LAX-MIA-MCO.

A couple of other options:

LAX-SJU-MCO - later dep LAX, later arrival in MCO and only Y availability (no F/J listed at all not even F0, J0)

LAX-SJO-MCO - same as SJU

I think I am stuck with this unless I unravel a lot...

EDIT


Just a clarification - I cant fly Alaskan on a DONE4 can I?

 

[NM]

Just a clarification - I cant fly Alaskan on a DONE4 can I?

Nope, so that also means LAX-DFW-ANC-LAX-MIA-MCO is off the agenda