In the latest version of the Around the World Airfare Report, we shopped prices for RTW plane tickets from nine different companies and rated each company based on three criteria:
- Price: How much does it cost?
- Service speed: How long does it take to get a bookable price?
- Frustration factor: How frustrating is the process of building and pricing a multi-stop route?
Price
Here is how the cost of searching these routes on Star Alliance compared to other companies for each of the three routes we searched:
- Route 1: 8th lowest price out of 9 options
- Route 2: Highest price out of 7 options
- Route 3: Unable to price this route
Service speed
Here is how the speed of searches compared to other companies we searched.
- Route 1: 2nd fastest out of 9
- Route 2: 3rd fastest out of 7
- Route 3: Unable to price this route
Frustration Factor
When searching online for a simple round the world route, it was quick, easy, and painless. If the route is not complicated, the entire process can be done online, and their Book and Fly tool is simple to navigate. As long as your route fits within their rules and regulations, you can get a price online.
If a customer tries to search a more complicated route; however, finding a price becomes more difficult, as evidenced in the third route as they were unable to give us a price. For route 1, it’s important to note that they could not price the route how we wanted, as the rules require tickets to begin and end in the same country.
Like other alliances, Star Alliance is easier and cheaper when it comes to changing dates. Date changes are free, and if you book a Star Alliance RTW ticket, you have to book your first international flight, date and all, but after that it’s possible to leave the dates open. Be aware; however, that date changes are subject to availability on the flight a customer wants to change to, so by waiting too long, it’s possible to be shut out.
Star Alliance RTW tickets are based on distance. If you are going to include lots of overland segments, you’re paying for distance that you aren’t flying. Paying for something and not using it is, quite frankly, a stupid use of a product.
You might as well take a Ferrari off-road and review it for not performing well over rocks. It misrepresents the usefulness of the product and is totally useless to the reader.
You’re expecting the product to be flexible, but not showing any flexibility yourself. If you want to go SFO-overland-LA, just buy a separate LAX-SFO one-way to get you back to SFO and continue from there. Not only does it remove the stupidity of paying for distance you’re not using, but it reduces the number of segments on the RTW.