Before I start on my own plan, I hope that this thread will be filled with other folks interesting RTW info - not just search suggestions. I use 'PE' for Premium Economy, although it has different names in carriers, the term is now well known.
As I am planning one of these for the first time in 20+ years, I have looked for a recent-ish thread and cannot find one. I'm hoping to make a six week trip starting late October 2014, to be done before the xmas prices and rush.
I am NOT looking for the routine 'air scanning', 'mozart' and 'canoe-yaking' and other such search sites because I've tried half a dozen and none can help! Most of them (understandably) have a limit of six sectors and most have difficulty with setting different cabins for each sector. Those that get closest, produce a very considerable number of options!
When I first thought of the route (a couple of years ago) that would link friends and places not travelled - I was pretty darn sure that no alliance group could do this on one 'big ticket'. Correct! If I want this route, I am going to have to do a series of singles (ouchingly expensive) or break it into two separate trips that I do back to back. this increases distance but reduces cost.
My plans are complicated by wanting to do as many long sectors in PE (or equiv) AND use points from VS + BA where possible, both to PE and Biz. Thus some sectors paid in plain cash and some cash+points for upgrades. Simples!
I do know that there are travel agents who could make this happen but I don't want their commission. The options are myriad and they would tear their hair out whilst asking me questions, like which specific rotation on a day do I want, due to aircraft / carrier / time of day. THEN what seat do I want on that particular machine? Lastly, the planning of it is a big part of the fun.
IDEALLY, I would do this route and if I had lashings of dosh, it would be a doddle.
- LHR
- CPT
- JNB
- PER (Only direct is SAA and they only have Biz not a PE so high cost)
- BNE
- SYD
- AKL
- RAR
- SFO
- (poss YYZ)
- LHR
As I said this is IDEAL and the AKL/RAR/etc. legs are a nice to have. The YYZ choice depends on my travelling companion and so I'm pricing both for her. Another option is to drop the RTW return and SYD/HKG/LHR (this was going to be on VS
)
An obvious option is:
- Do the ZA trip and return (as I've done dozens of times
)
- Take 36 hours at home (I live 45 mins from LHR)
- Do the OZ trip. This gives the option to add the NZ sectors or simply return home and not RTW.
Again, my friend is relying on me to provide all the information so that she can make an easy decision!
The alliances provide options but (understandably) have huuuuuge dog-legs to stay in the alliance, which makes it unworkable. I have also got a raft of other side-steps that I could add, dependent on the final choice of the main route. To sum up - ideas welcomed but caution on search sites.
I strongly suspect that I have already found the problems in the plan and the options of Two Trips vs One RTW at ghastly cost. I leave this with the esteemed PPRuNers.
ps Did I mention that, if she can't make these dates in the order I want them - we might have to reverse the whole sequence? Plus another half dozen Ifs and Buts.
