Maximising SC's on a LONE4

[Josh]

Hi,

I'm planning to take a LONE4 either next year, or the year after. I'm hoping this can contribute significantly to me keeping my SG.

I'm trying to max out my SC earn for the trip. I've currently got it worked out to about 450 (approx) for the entire trip (20 stops). What figure should I really be aiming at? I'm still in the process of working out the stops, so I won't post the route (I do however know it's AU-US-EUROPE-ASIA-AU).

All i'm really enquiring about is a rough estimate of the max SC's you can potentially earn on a LONE4, so I have something to aim for

Thanks for your help!

Josh

 

[NM]

AU-US-EUROPE-ASIA-AU).

You can get a few more SCs by routing SWP-ASIA-NA-Europe-xASIA-SWP.

To do this you need to make sure the first Asia includes all your Asia stopovers and segments, and the second one is a transit without stopover between Europe and SWP.

However, this may provide more SCs, but may also result in less QF FF points when using a LONEx fare.

450 SCs is not too shabby for a LONE4 fare.

 

[Evan]

I had no idea the earn on a LONE4 was so low.
Wouldn't the highest earn DONE4 also be the highest earn LONE4 ? or would the AA flights that book into F make some difference ?

E

 

[tuapekastar]

Hi,

I'm planning to take a LONE4 either next year, or the year after. I'm hoping this can contribute significantly to me keeping my SG.

I'm trying to max out my SC earn for the trip. I've currently got it worked out to about 450 (approx) for the entire trip (20 stops). What figure should I really be aiming at? I'm still in the process of working out the stops, so I won't post the route (I do however know it's AU-US-EUROPE-ASIA-AU).

All i'm really enquiring about is a rough estimate of the max SC's you can potentially earn on a LONE4, so I have something to aim for

Thanks for your help!

Josh

Hi Josh,

I reckon 450-500 SCs is pretty reasonable, though I'm in no doubt many more could be obtained if one wanted to squeeze every last SC out of a LONE4.

I'm playing with itineraries for a xONE4 next year and an early version (which definitely will change) is:

mel-akl-scl-gig-gru-lim-eze-lhr-dxb-lhr-hel-lhr-bkk-sin-hkg-bom-hkg-akl-adl-per-mel

...which according to Mileage Monkey earns me 470 SCs on a LONE4. As you're including Nth America a popular 'run' is DFW-ANC (Dallas-Anchorage), though I think it's a seasonal flight. I tried to maximise to some degree but by no means have I tried really hard to get as many SCs as possible.

So I'm sure you could get probably 500-600 SCs but would require careful planning:

One common technique is when going between 'continents' to make that the flight to, or from as far on the 'other' side of the source/destination continent as possible (eg LAX-LHR rather than JFK-LHR). And I think choosing flights that just fall into the next band of SC earn.

Let us know how you go.

 

[JohnK]

I had no idea the earn on a LONE4 was so low.
Wouldn't the highest earn DONE4 also be the highest earn LONE4 ? or would the AA flights that book into F make some difference ?

The AA flights booked into F do make a difference, especially flights like DFW-ANC.

 

[Evan]

So whats a LONE4 cost inc taxes ?
Probaby a cheap way around the world i would guess. Still a long hard way to earn SC but good if you want the trip. Not the kind of thing i would be doing in the minimum time.

E

 

[JohnK]

With Qantas OneWorld Explorer depending on the number of continents upwards of $4,000 if booked through QF and starting in Australia.

The taxes are a huge hit on the final airfare. I used 16 sectors in a OneWorld RTW award and these came to $935.

 

[NM]

I had no idea the earn on a LONE4 was so low.
Wouldn't the highest earn DONE4 also be the highest earn LONE4 ? or would the AA flights that book into F make some difference ?

E

Discount Economy SCs are generally 1/4th of the SC for business class. So the best you can expect is 25% of the SCs that can be earned on a DONE4 fare. Then when you consider the AA 2-class domestic flights earn as F class, then the LONE4 earning rate is 1/6th of the DONE4 for those flights.

 

[simongr]

As you're including Nth America a popular 'run' is DFW-ANC (Dallas-Anchorage), though I think it's a seasonal flight. I tried to maximise to some degree but by no means have I tried really hard to get as many SCs as possible.

I got confirmation last night of my next DONE4 and I plan to do the DFW-ANC run myself this july (subject to availability etc.) Should be an interesting experience.

Just in terms of your LONE4 if you have the time are you maxing out your asia fares and do you have any Middle East trips? Also on you way to/from NA have you considered Barbados?

My DONE4's have recently included side trips to Cyprus - which on a side trip on a DONE4 earned potentially about 160 SCS. The BGI side trips really helped but it would depend which way you are flying. I did:

JFK-BGI-LGW which is 6297 mies rather than 3445 going direct. The reason for me doing that was I had a little time and crediting to AA meant that I either have to fly AA across the pond (eww) or fly BA and not earn miles. The downside for me was that I couldnt then have any chance of flying in New New CLub World.

My routing for the next trip is roughly:

SYD-SIN-FRA-HEL-LHR-CDG-LHR,LGW-BGI-JFK-DFW-ANC-DFW-JFK-LAX-HKG-SYD-PER-ADL-MEL-SYD - 46,522 miles

And that's one flight short of the max :shock: unless I change it to SYD-hkg-SIN-FRA-HEL-LHR-CDG-LHR,LGW-BGI-JFK-DFW-ANC-DFW-JFK-LAX-HKG-SYD-PER-ADL-MEL-SYD being 48,801 miles.

Crediting to AA its just about the BIS miles for me as they dont use a SC type system.

Just a quick question - wht are you trying to maximise on the trip? Is it mostly SCs? I only ask because you might earn more frequent flyer miles with a slightly less effective SC ratio. If you want to maximise status is that because it will "help" with other planned travel. Status isnt that useful unless you are actually flying a lot.

YMMV

S

 

[Danger]

I leave on a LONE4 next week. I have 17 flights on QF, CX, EI, IB, BA and AA and, to my calculations, will earn ~ 325 SCs and ~ 36000 QFF points.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I had no idea the earn on a LONE4 was so low.
Wouldn't the highest earn DONE4 also be the highest earn LONE4 ? or would the AA flights that book into F make some difference ?

E

It does make a difference, but fairly marginal. Eg LAX-SJU is only 2-class so not on the highest SC earn DONE4, but it would be on the highest SC earn LONE4 (assuming travel in the right season).

450-550 SCs is a very good result for a LONE4.

 

[serfty]

I did a DONE4 that with the NA F class earned 2360 SC's.

If applied to a LONE4 for the same route it would have earned 525 SC's.

Here is a valid similar itinerary that would earn the same:

CMB-HKG-NRT-HKG-AKL-MEL,
CBR-PER-CNS-MEL,
MEL-LHR-DXB-LHR-LAX,
LAX-DFW-SEA-DFW-ANC-DFW-JFK-HKG,
HKG-CMB

 

[dragonman]

Trying to maximise sc and ffps on a done5 where I need to go to YUL and YVR. Arriving from asia HGK-JFK Iin december so ANC is not an option (i think).

Currently have HKG-JFK-YVR-DFW-YUL-MIA-DFW-JFK-HEL.

Any suggestions on how I might do better in North America?


thanks

 

[simongr]

Trying to maximise sc and ffps on a done5 where I need to go to YUL and YVR. Arriving from asia HGK-JFK Iin december so ANC is not an option (i think).

Currently have HKG-JFK-YVR-DFW-YUL-MIA-DFW-JFK-HEL.

Any suggestions on how I might do better in North America?


thanks

Without knowing the rest of you Europe itinerary - is JFK-BGI-LGW,LHR-HEL an option?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Trying to maximise sc and ffps on a done5 where I need to go to YUL and YVR. Arriving from asia HGK-JFK Iin december so ANC is not an option (i think).

Currently have HKG-JFK-YVR-DFW-YUL-MIA-DFW-JFK-HEL.

Any suggestions on how I might do better in North America?


thanks

Do you need to visit YVR and YUL? Flights to Canada in 2-class book as business not first - so lower point & SC earning on QFF (no difference crediting to AAdvantage). Also you have the hassle of US immigration on each flight.

For QFF long business class north america flights include LAX-SJU, LAX-SJO vv.

Your trans-atlantic would earn more going from west coast, eg LAX-LHR.

 

[NM]

Trying to maximise sc and ffps on a done5 where I need to go to YUL and YVR. Arriving from asia HGK-JFK Iin december so ANC is not an option (i think).

Currently have HKG-JFK-YVR-DFW-YUL-MIA-DFW-JFK-HEL.

Any suggestions on how I might do better in North America?

JFK-HEL is not the greatest way of SC earning between NA and Europe. Plenty of options to get 140 SCs for the trans-Atlantic segment, such as LAX-LHR or DFW-FRA. Or course the best way to maximum NA earning is to find 2-class US domestic flights and earn F class SCs. But the JFK-YVR and YVR-DFW and DFW-YUL and YUL-MIA will all be in J so the SC earning is not as good.

 

[dragonman]

Thanks for the help but yeah I need to visit YUL and YVR

The european leg must include RVN (of all places) and then I need to be in JNB, DUR and CPT on the way back.

I hate LHR so much I was trying to avoid it but in the interests of point maximising I guess its a must

 

[Josh]

Hi,

I've been tinkering around a bit with the LONE4 I've been planning, and i've come up with this for 460SC's (54032 miles)

mel-sin-nrt-bkk-hkg-jfk-mia-mex-yvr-sfo-lhr-hel-mad-tlv-lhr-hkg-akl-bne-drw-per-mel
(note: yvr-sfo is seasonal)

I'm open to suggestions on how to maximise this. Of these destinations, a lot of them are "optional", but i need to include (in no order):
Start at MEL, then BKK, JFK, SFO, YVR, LHR, TLV.
Europe is not too important, because i'll be Eurailing around the continent.

Any suggestions?

Josh

 

[dragonman]

JFK-HEL is not the greatest way of SC earning between NA and Europe. Plenty of options to get 140 SCs for the trans-Atlantic segment, such as LAX-LHR or DFW-FRA. Or course the best way to maximum NA earning is to find 2-class US domestic flights and earn F class SCs. But the JFK-YVR and YVR-DFW and DFW-YUL and YUL-MIA will all be in J so the SC earning is not as good.

Thanks for the great hints. Now have Mumbai and as well have included many of the useful advice above. This will prob be now (as a Done5 ):

syd-sin-nrt-pek-bom-hkg-jfk-lax-dfw-yvr-dfw-yul-mia-dfw-fra-lhr-hel-mad-lhr-cpt-dur-jnb-syd

which is 53406 miles and 1900 sc's.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

It is now an xONE5 - ie more cost.