Round The World Air Tickets (RTW)
Round the World (RTW) air tickets are a great option for those backpackers wanting to visit many different countries.
They are usually valid for up to 12 months and are flexible so that the routing and/or timings of a flight can be changed, for a nominal fee, simply by contacting the airline or issuing agent.
When compared to the total cost of a series of one way tickets, a RTW ticket represents exceptional value for money.
In order for airlines to offer the best coverage throughout the world, RTW tickets are issued by an airline alliance.
For example, two of the main airline alliances are the Star Alliance and One World alliance.
Round the World tickets issues by both these alliances gives the traveller up to a year in which to take the flights.
Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com)
Member Airlines: Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair Plus, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways International, United, US Airways
A Star Alliance RTW ticket is priced based on the number of miles you require to complete the entire journey. There are four fare levels allowing travel up to 26,000, 29,000, 34,000, 39,000 miles.
Example Itinerary:
London - Singapore - Bangkok - Hong Kong - Sydney - Auckland - Cook Islands - Tahiti - London
One World (www.oneworld.com):
Member Airlines: Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LAN, Qantas
The one world alliance offers 2 types of RTW tickets.
"One World Explorer"
A one world RTW ticket is priced depending on the number of continents you visit or pass through. It allows travel using the alliance airlines listed above.
Example Itineraries:
Four continents:
Madrid-Rome-Bangkok-Melbourne-Brisbane-Los Angeles-New York-Helsinki-Barcelona
Six continents:
Los Angeles-New York-Dublin-Manchester-London-Nairobi-Harare-Johannesburg-Hong Kong-Bangkok-Singapore-Jakarta-Perth-Alice Springs- Melbourne-Sydney-Santiago, Chile-São Paulo-Dallas/Fort Worth
"Global Explorer"
This ticket is priced depending on the number of miles you fly. In addition to the alliance member airlines (listed above), it also allows you to travel on some additional airlines (Air Pacific, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines and Malév).
Example Itineraries:
Upto 26,000 miles:
London - Bangkok - Sydney - Los Angeles - New York - Madrid - London
Upto 29,000 miles:
London - Paris - Dallas - Chicago - Los Angeles - Auckland - Melbourne - Hong Kong - Tokyo - London
Upto 34,000 miles:
London - Helsinki - New York - Miami - Buenos Aires - Santiago - Papeete - Auckland - Sydney - Brisbane - Sydney - Johannesburg - London
Upto 39,000 miles:
London - Rio de Janeiro - Santiago - Los Angeles - Nadi - Brisbane - Cairns - Ayers Rock - Sydney - Johannesburg - Cape Town - London