Guest Levent Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Hi guys, We are planning to make a Round-the-World trip in February next year. We can choose between the Star Alliance and Oneworld RTW packages, and I think Star suits us more. We want to do this in business class. The planned itinerary for now is: Bangkok - Tokyo Narita - Seattle - overland to Las Vegas - St Louis - St Maarten - New York - Istanbul - Dubai or Mumbai - Bangkok. The planned airlines: 1- BKK-NRT with Singapore Airlines 2- NRT-SEA with United Airlines 3- LAS-STL with United Airlines, via Denver 4- STL-SXM with US Airways, via Charlotte 5- SXM-NYC with United Airlines, via Washington 6- NYC-IST with Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, via Frankfurt 7- IST-DXB with Singapore Airlines 8- DXB-BKK with Thai or DXB-SIN-BKK with SQ/Thai Now, what are your opinions about: NRT-SEA. We want to go to Seattle to visit the Boeing plant and aviation museum. United Airlines flies NRT-SEA non-stop, although I think All Nippon Airways has a much better service. We coud do NRT-SFO with NH and connect to SEA with UA. Would you go for ANA instead? We might have too many US domestic flights in this itinerary. Does anyone know more about the exact rules in the Star Alliance RTW package? It mainly depends on what is regarded as one or more segments. I have the exact rules for the RTW package with Oneworld, which allows six segments in North America. But in general I would prefer to use the Star Alliance because of the better airlines. American Airlines offers better possibilities to get to St Maarten, but they're (unfortunately) with Oneworld... Maybe we'll just have to do more driving in the USA. For now, we want to drive from Seattle via San Francisco and Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Have any of you done a RTW before? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Have any of you done a RTW before? Done both eastbound and westbound but took 2 years to complete each way. Fares paid by Petronas Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gavin Andrew David 6 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Cargo flights ah Radzi ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Have any of you done a RTW before? Done it many times (eastbound and westbound). The latest was early last year with Star Alliance (SQ/UA/TG). Their RTW details on the web are sketchy, but see a reliable travel agent for updated info. You won't go wrong. Just do a rough itinerary first and fine-tune it with the agent. Of course be mindful of the budget. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Cargo flights ah Radzi ? Nope. Eastbound: KUL-MNL-HNL-LAX(?)- Philadelphia (1983) - LHR-KUL (1985) Westbound: KUL-LHR-Philadelphia (1985)- Hartford/Bradley- STL-LAX-HNL-KUL (1989) Student days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin P K 0 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 (edited) Levent, great *A galore! Wow - am always envious of those who do RTW trips...what's the damage like?? If u dun mind me asking :S Edited September 18, 2006 by Edwin P K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Fendy Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Have any of you done a RTW before? only once, westbound KUL-LAX-LIM-SCL-EZE-JNB-KUL with MH/LA. about rules, rtw are very tricky. i'm not sure what exactly the rules are, but iirc *A allows 5 stops in the US (surface sectors also count as stops). i may be mistaken so its better to ask your TA. cheers and enjoy =) p.s., edwin, rtw fares are very value for money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zealich 0 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 RTW trip..me also wanted to do that...unless got any sponsor or get a DaMaChai win.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seth K 3 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 (edited) HOUSTON, we got a problem!!!!!!!!!! No Houston????? Edited September 18, 2006 by Seth K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S V Choong 4 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 Here you go Keith Tan, thats your territory! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith T 2 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 (edited) Here you go Keith Tan, thats your territory! Unfortunately the only RTWs I've done are on oneworld, which has very different rules to a *A RTW. I'm quite new to *A having just switched over from oneworld. But I do know that *A RTWs do not have a segment cap unlike oneworld so not to worry about having too many US segments. (subject to the limit on stopovers...) Anyway I believe the responses Levent is receiving over at FT are quite helpful. Those interested can follow the thread here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=602837 The following might also be relevant: http://www.airnztravelagent.com/documents/1138826084_1.pdf Edited September 18, 2006 by Keith T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith T 2 Report post Posted September 18, 2006 (edited) Don't mean to cross post, but I assume that you'd have about 29 000 miles to play with. SQ only offers regional seats on BKK-NRT. I think a small detour via SIN might be in order - BKK-SIN-NRT, and enjoy spacebeds. But YMMV as some people actually prefer the old seats.... edited to add: total number of sectors cannot exceed 24 it seems, but unlimited transfers within a continent so long as the total sector rule is followed. Edited September 18, 2006 by Keith T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Levent Report post Posted September 19, 2006 Thanks for your replies, guys. The *A RTW ex-BKK will cost about 200,000 baht (that's about US$5250) plus taxes in business class. It's a lot of money, but I think very much worth it. It really is the trip of a lifetime (although I hope to do it more often!) To maximise the package's potential I have in the meantime added more flights to the itinerary, pushing the total to almost the max of 24 segments and 29,000 miles. I am working out the details (stopovers etc) and will post my updated route later on. The trip will include things such as a visit to the Boeing plant in Seattle, the plane storage in Mojave, maybe one or two airshows in the USA (have to check dates), gambling in Las Vegas (?), and a lot of spotting, with of course St Maarten as the highlight! We both are very excited about this, and can't wait to go! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith T 2 Report post Posted September 19, 2006 (edited) Thanks for your replies, guys. The *A RTW ex-BKK will cost about 200,000 baht (that's about US$5250) plus taxes in business class. It's a lot of money, but I think very much worth it. It really is the trip of a lifetime (although I hope to do it more often!) To maximise the package's potential I have in the meantime added more flights to the itinerary, pushing the total to almost the max of 24 segments and 29,000 miles. I am working out the details (stopovers etc) and will post my updated route later on. The trip will include things such as a visit to the Boeing plant in Seattle, the plane storage in Mojave, maybe one or two airshows in the USA (have to check dates), gambling in Las Vegas (?), and a lot of spotting, with of course St Maarten as the highlight! We both are very excited about this, and can't wait to go! You'll find that RTWs ex BKK are amongst the world's cheapest, like lots of other premium airline fares. The same ticket will cost you AUD9825 (approx USD7550) ex MEL. Cities like BKK are consequently popular destinations to start a journey from. A friend recently did BKK-ZRH-NYC return for only AUD3080 in LX C; he threw in a cheap TG economy MEL-BKK return and upgraded it with mileage. My first RTW was ex CMB which was ridiculously el cheapo. I've also visited exotic lands like Tonga which I'd never have contemplated setting foot on otherwise for the same purpose. But airlines have gotten smart to exCMB fares and placed a load of restrictions on ticketing ex-CMB fares or upped the fares (when SQ increased its ex CMB the load in C fell from 52 to 3 almost overnight). One wonders how the average Sri Lankan is going to afford SQ's premium cabins now as fares are supposed to be priced according to the average income of the respective country... So you're well-placed in BKK if you are keen on travelling in F and C cabins a lot. Enjoy ur trip! Edited September 19, 2006 by Keith T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edwin P K 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2006 Wow, RM20K for RTW on Business? That sounds like damn worth it man... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith T 2 Report post Posted September 19, 2006 (edited) Wow, RM20K for RTW on Business? That sounds like damn worth it man... ex-BKK... I think ex-KUL has rather reasonable fares as well, but not as good as ex-BKK or ex-CMB. Refer to the Star Alliance sticky in FT for a complete fare list. For you, you might want to check out ex-CAI. Just nest tickets next time you visit CAI or something. Edited September 19, 2006 by Keith T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Levent Report post Posted September 20, 2006 Well, after many hours of puzzling, shifting with flights and looking at various options, I came up with the following. I have added 'just a couple' of flights to my original itinerary... I downloaded the RTW Mileage Calculator from the Star Alliance website, which is a great tool and makes planning much easier. It is a complete timetable of *A carriers, and much more. Here we go! BKK - NRT: probably Singapore Airlines (777), although I'd like to try ANA (767). NRT - SEA: United Airlines 777. Looked at ANA NRT-SFO and UA SFO-SEA, but no miles left! Overland from Seattle to Phoenix via San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mojave and Las Vegas. We plan to do a scenic flight over the Grand Canyon, probably with a Scenic Airlines Twin Otter. PHX - DFW: America West (will their aircraft be repainted in US Airways colours?) DFW - ORD - STL: United Airlines, via Chicago O'Hare to St Louis. STL - CLT - TPA: US Airways, via Charlotte to Tampa. The STL-CLT leg is operated by a Mesa Airlines CRJ900, while the CLT-TPA leg will probably be my first ever 757 ride. We'll have a few days in Florida to drive around. We'll also visit MIA and FLL. MCO - CLT - SXM: US Airways, via Charlotte to St Maarten. Spotters' heaven! SXM - IAD: US Airways to Washington Dulles. DCA - YYZ: Air Canada from Ronald Reagan to Toronto, with an Embraer 175. YYZ - BOS: Air Canada back to the USA, again with an E-175. BOS - LGA: US Airways shuttle to the Big Apple, leaves almost every hour. A few days in New York, and then JFK - FRA - AMS: Singapore Airlines to FRA and connection to Amsterdam Schiphol. Apart from spotting at Schiphol, I am going to show some sights to my partner, who is British and never visited Holland. AMS - OPO: TAP Portugal to Porto, and the next day OPO - LIS: on to the capital Lisbon. LIS - MAD: TAP to the Spanish capital. Also planning to visit the beautiful town of Salamanca. MAD - ZRH: Swiss to Zurich for some business and spotting. We might take the train to Geneva. ZRH - IST: Swiss to Istanbul, for a week or so in Turkey. We'll probably head down to Bodrum. IST - DXB: Singapore Airlines 777-300 to the UAE, and after a few days DXB - BKK: with Thai Airways (A330) back home. We can have 15 stopovers during the trip, including 5 in the USA. So in some places we'll stay less than 24 hours, and that will count as a transit, even if we stay overnight. Phew! Well, the above list amounts to 22 flights (out of a total of 24 allowed) and some 28,500 miles (which is under the 29,000 mile limit of the cheapest business RTW package). I am sure the airport taxes will be considerable, but what the heck, this is going to be a fantastic trip! Lots of new routes, airlines, airports and other things to see and to do. Never before have I been so eager to spend a large amount of money... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted September 20, 2006 Apart from spotting at Schiphol, I am going to show some sights to my partner, who is British and never visited Holland. AMS - OPO: TAP Portugal to Porto, and the next day So in some places we'll stay less than 24 hours, and that will count as a transit, even if we stay overnight. If you wanna show her around AMS and have less than 24 hours in AMS, forget about spotting, unless it's 1 hour after arrival and 1 hour before departure....would love to show you around the runway's, though, so please PM me if that's your plan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seth K 3 Report post Posted September 20, 2006 Looks like you coming to Texas afterall!!!!! But since you come to DFW, PM our Dallas Fort Worth MWs base!!!!1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Fendy Report post Posted September 20, 2006 it is quite cheap. i paid rm10k for J class when i flew rtw with MH/LA. my uncle also travels frequently rtw, and he said about flying MH/AC KUL-ICN-YVR-LHR-KUL or something like that for rm9k in J. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith T 2 Report post Posted September 21, 2006 (edited) Nice, sounds like a fab trip you've planned there! Might go to BKK one of these days to pick up one of those CStarRWs. The fare you quoted seems very good value for 29 000 miles. Edited September 21, 2006 by Keith T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Levent Report post Posted September 21, 2006 Pieter, We're planning to spend a few days in Holland. I want to show her a few places. But spotting will definitely be part of it, because it's very long since the last time I was at Schiphol! And luckily my partner loves watching airplanes too! (she was a flight attendant with Gulf Air) Also we will be visiting my parents and they could be either in Holland or in Turkey. They live in Holland now, but just have bought a house in Bodrum, Turkey and are planning to move there. Don't know when exactly though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted September 21, 2006 But spotting will definitely be part of it, because it's very long since the last time I was at Schiphol! And luckily my partner loves watching airplanes too! (she was a flight attendant with Gulf Air) PM me when you want to see the nooks and crannies of SPL: I would be delighted to show the 2 of you around (how about EHLE and the Aviodrome ?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Levent Report post Posted September 21, 2006 PM me when you want to see the nooks and crannies of SPL: I would be delighted to show the 2 of you around (how about EHLE and the Aviodrome ?) That's a deal, mate! Aviodrome sounds interesting too. A general question: who of you has flown with ANA, United Airlines and/or US Airways before, and what are your opinions about them? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted September 21, 2006 A general question: who of you has flown with ANA, United Airlines and/or US Airways before, and what are your opinions about them? Never flew with NH... UA was about 8 years ago: domestically in US and I found them quite good... US was about 10 years ago: a disaster and have never flown them again (it was real bad) This was a long time ago; they might have improved/deterriorated in the mean time Suggest to check also the A.net 'trip-report' section, which you, undoubtedly, know about Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
