Why is SYD-JNB-LHR-SYD more expensive than a RTW award?

[Colster]

All,
Am looking at booking flights for myself and the family on a SYD-JNB-LHR-SYD flight next year. Am happy with pretty much any dates departing prior to Aug 31 from SYD and returning about a month later. It seems when I try to look at the cost of the itinerary using points, its 330k points (J Class) whilst a OW RTW is 280K.. hmmm Is it possible to get a DONE4 award, and does anyone know what the points cost is?

Am looking at 2 adults and 2 kids, and will use points to get two across, and $$ to get the other two. As a WP, I should just ring up the Plat service line I suppose.

Any tips and tricks here? Should I book the award tickets ASAP, and wait for a cheap DONE4 ticket? Or do it all together? It looks like a DONE4 will cost about 9.7k each at the moment.

Thanks
Colster

 

[markis10]

Have you checked the sticky:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ogram/oneworld-award-140k-280k-420k-8228.html

 

[dajop]

Probably the main reason is that rules of the oneworld award require you to travel on at least two oneworld airlines other than Qantas, I assume that your sectors are SYD-JNB: QF, JNB-LHR: BA, LHR-SYD: QF (or BA). One solution (that could save you over $300 each in air passenger duty as well as the 50,000 points) - why not take a side trip to Europe at the end of your LHR stay on another OW carrier, and then leave Europe from there (even routing back via LHR to connect with QF service, as long as the layover in LHR is <24 hours you will save the UK Air Passenger Duty).

 

[Mattg]

As the OP pointed out, travel needs to be on at least two oneworld airlines other than Qantas to qualify as a oneworld award. That's probably your problem.

The DONE4 is a round-the-world cash product, and for this you would need to actually fly around the world, i.e. return via North or South America. Have you considered this? With the oneworld award it would be the same points cost anyway. Otherwise for the two extra (cash) tickets, you'd have to buy multi-city tickets, and these are often just as expensive as proper RTW tickets.

 

[Colster]

Thanks all... looks like the way to go is to start the trip in JNB, then fly around the world as it's only 26k for the 4 of us for a OW RTW J.
Another question...

Can I get away with a one way ticket SYD-JNB (using points) and then just dump the SYD-JNB leg of the RTW ( - no show) or ask for a refund for that part of the ticket later? And also, how hard is it to actually book a OW RTW departing JNB from Australia? Anyone with any experience here?

Thanks again

 

[Danger]

Thanks all... looks like the way to go is to start the trip in JNB, then fly around the world as it's only 26k for the 4 of us for a OW RTW J.
Another question...

Can I get away with a one way ticket SYD-JNB (using points) and then just dump the SYD-JNB leg of the RTW ( - no show) or ask for a refund for that part of the ticket later? And also, how hard is it to actually book a OW RTW departing JNB from Australia? Anyone with any experience here?

Thanks again

I'm a bit confused by your first question about throwing away SYD-JNB. However, if that is your first sector on a oneworld Explorer it will void the remainder of your ticket.

As to your second question, I have booked two oneworld Explorers ex-South Africa. Since then, however, I think AA's GSA (ticketing agent) has shut up shop. There's a multitude of information in the oneworld sub-forum on FlyerTalk about how to book ex-SA but essentially the favourite way seems to be to set the ticket up with AA's very competent round the world desk in Dallas and tell them you will be purchasing it in South Africa. The FlyerTalk thread will give details on the next step but, if AA's GSA has indeed packed up and gone home, you will need to find a travel agent in South Africa who can issue it.

 

[Colster]

Thanks... the Syd-JNB would be the last sector of the RTW.

Will try and find a friendly South African TA

What about booking it through BA? First leg would be BA...

 

[Danger]

Thanks... the Syd-JNB would be the last sector of the RTW.

Will try and find a friendly South African TA

What about booking it through BA? First leg would be BA...

Where possible avoid ticketing with BA due to their exorbitant fuel fines. AA would be my choice but they may sometimes insist on an over water segment being on their code (codeshares seem to be okay for this).

 

[Nizar]

As to your second question, I have booked two oneworld Explorers ex-South Africa. Since then, however, I think AA's GSA (ticketing agent) has shut up shop. There's a multitude of information in the oneworld sub-forum on FlyerTalk about how to book ex-SA but essentially the favourite way seems to be to set the ticket up with AA's very competent round the world desk in Dallas and tell them you will be purchasing it in South Africa. The FlyerTalk thread will give details on the next step but, if AA's GSA has indeed packed up and gone home, you will need to find a travel agent in South Africa who can issue it.

A touch off topic but if you don't me asking please how much did these xONEx set you back ?
Are the ex-JNB ONEs as good a value now as they were a few years ago ?

Thanks

 

[Danger]

A touch off topic but if you don't me asking please how much did these xONEx set you back ?
Are the ex-JNB ONEs as good a value now as they were a few years ago ?

Thanks

Gee, we're going back awhile. My first ex-JNB DONE4 was less than AUD8k all in. That was for travel in 2008. Ticketed ex-Australia would have been well over AUD12k.

I'm currently away from home on my 5th oneworld Explorer but if you send me a PM or re-post here in a couple of weeks I'll be back at the ranch and will have access to all my travel files for a more accurate picture.

Ex-SA xONEx fares have gone up slightly but still offer very good value for money.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Last year I did the following trip as a multi-city booking, that i paid for on the QF Website:
SYD > JNB (on QF)
JNB > LHR ( on BA)
LHR > SYD ( via DXB on QF).

If this is the trip that you intend to do, maybe a multi-city booking may be the way to go.

( in my case last year this itinerary came in cheaper than a simple SYD> LHR return).

NB, on occasions the multi-city tool comes up with error messages on particular departure days, so play around with dates & if trouble still exists give QF a call to book, quite a few multi-city bookings on the QF website are known not to be able to be booked online as yet, but Can be done over the phone often it can be done with ease.