Rules, Routes and Logic for Round the World Airfares
Learn how RTW tickets, alliance fares, mileage limits, stopovers, surface sectors and pricing logic actually work — before you build the trip.
Popular Guides
RTW Product Status
Travel generally starts and ends in the same country, uses Star carriers, crosses Atlantic and Pacific once, and is limited by mileage and stop rules.
Read product notesFare logic is based on cabin and number of geographic continents included or transited.
Read product notesA mileage-based RTW/open-jaw product using specified carriers and bands.
Read product notesPacific circle product between Area 1 and Area 3, not a full global RTW fare.
Read product notesLegacy reference area for discontinued or changed SkyTeam-style RTW logic.
Read product notesKey Rule Concepts
Travel generally proceeds east or west. Limited zigzagging may be allowed within a continent, but advisors must validate the current rule.
Formal RTW products commonly require one Atlantic and one Pacific crossing. Extra crossings may invalidate the fare.
Star Alliance material refers to mileage levels such as 29,000, 34,000 and 39,000 miles in formal rule extracts; public background also references broader mileage bands.
Formal rule extracts may limit total coupons/segments. Count rerouted and surface handling according to the product.
oneworld Explorer pricing is determined by highest class travelled and number of geographic continents in the itinerary.
Global Explorer pricing is tied to mileage bands and permitted routing.
Intermediate surface sectors may be permitted at passenger expense, with restrictions on transoceanic surface sectors.
Circle Pacific Explorer is a circle fare around the Pacific region, not a full circumnavigation fare.
Advisor tools coming next
Route validator, mileage calculator, segment counter, fare ladder builder, route worksheet and client qualifier. These are structured as database-backed modules so the content, rule notes and labels can be updated without editing page files.