Opinion
Can you still get round-the-world tickets? Yes, and they’re a bargain
Michael Gebicki
The TripologistWant to see the world with the works? The hotspots of Asia, an African safari, Paris, New York and a few more cities in Europe and North America, maybe a tropical island – all in a single trip? The way to stitch it all together is with a round the world (RTW) air ticket, and the best thing about it is the price. It’s a bargain.
Round-the-world tickets can still represent great value for money.Credit: iStock
“What we’re seeing right now, a decent price for an RTW fare is sitting at about $3500 in economy and between $9000 to $10,500 in business,” says Mark Trim, managing director of RoundAbout Travel, which sells nothing but RTW tickets.
“If you want to visit London and New York in two separate trips, that’s going to cost $20,000 in business class or $4000 to $6000 economy, but you can do both in one trip on an RTW fare for $3000 in economy or $9500 in business,” says Trim.
Reasons to buy an RTW ticket
An RTW ticket isn’t just for jet-setters who want the trip of a lifetime. The price alone makes it attractive for many long-distance travellers with time to spare. Rather than a return ticket just to Los Angeles or Rome, for a relatively small increase in price you’re getting time to browse around in two or three continents. It’s especially attractive for business-class travellers and close to 70 per cent of RoundAbout Travel’s clients are flying at the pointy end.
“There’s more value there,” says Trim. “If a round-trip ticket is $8000 and they can get an RTW fare for $9500, then they see the value in that. Generally it’s better if you have four to eight weeks to do an around the world trip and that is more likely to apply to someone booking a business class ticket.”
There are rules that come with an RTW ticket. You need to start and end your RTW journey in the same country. There may be a maximum allowable mileage, and that might vary according to the fare – from 26,000 to 39,000 miles in the case of Star Alliance (airlines still use miles, not kilometres). Travel must be completed within 12 months and in one direction, either east or west.
From Australia, the most popular route is west, to Asia followed by Europe and North America. Within a continent it may be possible to backtrack, especially in Europe. Itineraries must include a minimum of two stopovers over 24 hours, not just a transit stop.
“For about 18 months after we were allowed to travel again following the pandemic, the price of a return economy airfare to Europe was about $4000,” says Trim. “Business class fares to LA and New York were anything from $10,000 to $25,000. People who wanted to go to London business class were buying an RTW fare because it was cheaper than a return Australia-London ticket, and just transiting in LA, and airlines have clamped down on that.”
Who sells round-the-world airfares?
Individual airlines sell RTW airfares. Turkish Airlines’ RTW airfare is currently selling for just under $8000, Finnair has an economy class RTW airfare starting from a shade over $2000. These will involve partner airlines. The Finnair deal might see you flying some sectors with Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways.
There are also RTW fares from the two main alliances, oneworld and Star Alliance. Oneworld has two RTW fares, the oneworld Explorer, which is a continent–based fare, and the Global Explorer, a distance-based airfare. The Global Explorer includes some non-alliance partners, for example Fiji Airways, Jetstar Japan, even Air Tahiti Nui. Star Alliance has just a distance-based airfare, and according to Trim, “the Star Alliance fare tends to be cheaper than oneworld, but oneworld has the strength of the Qantas connection, which is great for people living in regional Australia. It also makes sense for travellers looking to accrue points and status credits with Qantas. Star Alliance can be a great ticket in business class where you’re looking at $11,000 to $12,000 for a 26,000-mile airfare that will get you anything from three to seven stops.
“You can do Air New Zealand, United, Singapore Airlines, Thai, Turkish and there are huge networks in Europe with Lufthansa and Swiss. You can even stop in places like the Maldives, Vietnam and Hawaii. One drawback for some is Star Alliance’s baggage allowance, 20 kg in economy and 30 kg in business.”
Another difference Trim points out between RTW fares sold by airlines and those from the alliances, the alliance fares don’t change greatly with the seasons. Those sold by airlines are determined by dynamic yield management, which means the fares are subject to large swings according to supply and demand. The alliances’ RTW fares are subject to the same market forces and they are more scarce in peak periods, but their price fluctuations are more moderate.
An RTW ticket nowhere near as straightforward as buying a return airfare. You’re looking at an itinerary that involves several airlines and the permutations are complicated. Slight changes in your route can have a big impact on the price and only an expert is likely to have those facts at their fingertips. If you plan to visit several cities in Europe, you’re probably better off taking a train, or travelling with a low-cost carrier rather than including those cities as stops on your RTW booking. It’s this depth of knowledge that drives RoundAbout Travel’s business, and that business is now twice its pre-pandemic size.
When to book
RTW fares become available 11 months in advance, and that’s the time to start looking. “It definitely pays to get in early for the basic business class fares,” says Trim. “Between nine and 11 months in advance is optimal, as long as the return date has been released. Right now is the booking season for the Christmas holidays. We are going to be busy for the next four to six weeks.”
How the prices stack up
Say you want to fly around the world starting from Melbourne in September 2024 with stops in Singapore, Paris and New York. What would you pay flying economy or business on the following itinerary?
Itinerary:
September 1, 2024
Melbourne to Singapore
September 6
Singapore to Paris
September 25
Paris to New York
September 30
New York to Melbourne
The price:
Oneworld
Economy: Global Explorer from $4408
Business: Oneworld Explorer from $16,210
Star Alliance
Economy: $4370
Business: $11,987
Skyscanner (Multi-city fare)
Economy: $3459
Business: $12,776
Roundabout Travel
Economy: from $2663 to $4682
Business: from $10,383 to $13,872
The Star Alliance business class RTW fare is a great deal at just under $12,000. Sectors from Melbourne to Singapore and Singapore to Paris are with Singapore Airlines, after that it’s all United and although the flight time from New York to Melbourne is a slightly gruelling 24 hours with a transfer in LA, United’s business class has a great reputation.
Skyscanner’s Multi-city economy fare looks sharp at just $3459 but the sector from Paris to New York is aboard Norwegian low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways, and checked baggage is not included in the fare. Skyscanner’s business class fare also involves Norse and the sector from Singapore to Paris is with Air India via Delhi, a 27-hour flight.
The quote from Roundabout Travel beats all. It also comes with lots of helpful information. For example Finnair is sold out via Singapore, but flying via Bangkok the business class fare would be $11,681. “If you make your own way from New York to LA, this comes down to $10,352,” according to Roundabout. It also noted that bookings are tight for September, in business class particularly. “Two to three months prior these would have been $8.5-9.2k so it definitely pays to get in early for the basic business class fares.”
The agency also noted that bookings are tight for September, in business class particularly. “Two to three months prior these would have been $8.5k-$9.2k so it definitely pays to get in early for the basic business class fares.”
Why multi-city fares from metasearch engines are different from RTW fares
The above comparison is prejudicial to Skyscanner. As a metasearch platform, Skyscanner’s searches are not confined to a single alliance, rather they scour the entire aviation galaxy, including low-cost and other airlines that are non-alliance members. That can result in some surprising bargains that might be cheaper than an RTW ticket.
According to a Skyscanner spokesperson, “One travel hack that we often share, is encouraging people to consider trips with stopovers. This is especially so if you are flexible with airlines and also the time you spend transiting. A premium economy flight from Sydney to London on Air China with single stopover cost $2067 but a business class flight for the same, with three stopovers only cost $2847.”
That’s a one-way fare, and these are transit stops rather than true stopovers, but if the cheapest possible deal in any particular class is what you’re after, a metasearch engine is likely where you’ll find it.
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