oneworld Explorer
Travel the Globe with Round-the-World Fares
The ten member airlines of the oneworld® alliance share a common goal: to make worldwide travel an easier, more rewarding experience for you.
Through our combined resources and route networks, we offer you a range of service benefits on a global scale1:
- Thousands of employees across the globe to ensure that you are in good hands at every step of your journey.
- Greater rewards and recognition for frequent flyer programme members.
- More information to guide you.
We also offer you excellent value in our oneworld Explorer round-the-world Fare. This is a great way to take advantage of our vast, interlocking route networks covering more than 675 destinations in more than 130 countries. oneworld Explorer opens up an exciting new world, both for the adventurous traveller and globe-trotting executive.
If you are a member of a oneworld airline's frequent flyer programme, you will earn miles/points2 on eligible flights. You will also enjoy all the privileges that your membership status entitles you to.3
The oneworld Explorer makes it simple to plan round-the-world trips and intercontinental "grand tours." To keep things straightforward and flexible, without complex rules or mileage restrictions, we treat the world as six individually priced continental stepping stones.
The fare you pay is based on the number of oneworld continents you visit or pass through (including your continent of origin) and the class you fly in.4 That's really all there is to it.
Planning Your Trip
Routing
- Your journey must include at least three oneworld continents, or four from the Southern Hemisphere and Africa where three-continent itineraries are not possible.
- Your route from one continent to another must move forward in a continuous westward or eastward direction. However, there are no backtracking restrictions so you are free to roam locally at will within a continent as long as you don't go back to your point of origin.5
- Please note, you may need to travel through a hub city to get to your desired destination.
Flights and stopovers
- You are allowed to take two stopovers in total within your continent of origin in order to get to or from a gateway to begin or return from your international travel.
- After departing from your continent of origin, you are allowed to take up to four flights to explore each of the other continents (six flights in North America).
- You can book up to two additional flights per continent, at a set rate.
- You can fly up to 16 flight segments on your trip. Travel between two airports by surface transportation will count as one flight segment.
Class of travel
- You can book a oneworld Explorer fare in First, Business or Economy Class.4
- For an extra charge a oneworld Explorer fare can be booked in British Airways (World Traveller Plus), Qantas Premium Economy Cabins, or on sectors between Asia and North America on JAL.
Fares
- Your fare is determined by the class you fly in and the number of oneworld continents on your itinerary, including your continent of origin and any continents you just pass through.4
- Fares apply all year round except some seasonal economy fares which are calculated on two seasonal rates: high and low.6
Duration
- You can stay from a minimum of 10 days7 and you have up to 12 months to complete your trip.
Reservations
- You must have booked and received a ticket for your first international flight (and any preceding local flights) at least seven days prior to travel when your journey originates from the Americas.
- However, you can leave all your subsequent flights open-dated. You can then schedule your trip as you go along. Local service fees may apply.
- All reservations and ticketing can be handled by any oneworld airline.
Change of plan
You will find that the oneworld Explorer offers plenty of flexibility should you unexpectedly need to alter your travel arrangements. A charge may be payable for this service, and if your ticket needs to be reissued this may take up to 24 hours. When making changes to your itinerary, please plan accordingly.
oneworld affiliate airlines
When you are planning your oneworld Explorer trip, you are not restricted to just our ten member airlines. You can include flights on any of the affiliated airlines listed below.
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American Airlines |
British Airways |
Cathay Pacific |
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| Iberia | JAL Japan Airlines |
LAN |
Qantas |
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Finnair, Malév and Royal Jordanian do not have any affiliates.
* AmericanConnection service is operated by one of the following independent carriers: Trans State Airlines Inc. and Chautauqua Airlines Inc.
** American Eagle service includes flights operated by Executive Airlines.
§ Independently operated franchise carriers using the British Airways name, livery and flight code and offering British Airways products and services. The Loganair franchise agreement ends 25 October 2008.
‡ QantasLink: Airlink(National Jet Systems), Eastern Australia Airlines, Sunstate Airlines.
Example Itineraries
Every oneworld Explorer trip is unique. With more than 675 destinations around the world to choose from, there are endless combinations to be explored. But to give you an idea of how the oneworld Explorer works, here are a couple of sample itineraries: a four-continent itinerary beginning in London and a six-continent itinerary beginning in Madrid.
Four continents
Cairns-Brisbane-Hong Kong-Tokyo-Helsinki-Rome-London-London-New York-Toronto-Los Angeles-Sydney-Cairns
Six continents
Madrid-New York-Chicago-Dallas-São Paulo-Santiago de Chile-Auckland-Sydney-Cairns-Tokyo-Hong Kong-Johannesburg-Cape Town-London-Zurich-Madrid
Five-continent fares are also options. So, too, are three-continent fares departing from the Northern Hemisphere8
Fare Estimate
Please refer to the rule sheet for the full technical product details: oneworld Explorer rule sheet (101kb, PDF)
Booking a Trip
oneworld Explorer fares can be booked through any travel agent or a reservations office of any oneworld member airline. Due to the complexity of these products, on-line booking through member airline sites is not currently available. However, reservations staff at the member airlines will be pleased to assist. For contact information select the member airline of your choice below.
Terms and Conditions
- All information, routings, available destinations and fares are subject to change without notice. These fares are limited to availability and capacity controls. Some penalties may apply concerning rebookings, reroutings, cancellations and refunds.
- All destinations you wish to travel to must be stated at time of purchase, before departure from country of origin. You must have booked and received a ticket for your first international flight (and any preceding local flights) at least seven days prior to travel when your journey originates from the Americas. All remaining flights may be left open (i.e. without confirmed flight numbers and dates), as long as each flight is then reserved prior to departure. In some departing countries, tickets can be booked or issued up to one hour before departure. Local fees may apply.
- If a ticket includes travel to/from/via Cuba it may not also include flight segments for travel on American Airlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection due to U.S. government restrictions.
- Children and infants: Children pay 75%. Infants pay 10%.
- Minimum stay: 10 days. Maximum stay: 12 months. (Except if originating from Southwest Pacific where there is no minimum stay for First and Business Class fares but 10 days minimum stay for Economy fares.)
- Conditions of carriage and regulations. The carriage of passengers, baggage and cargo is subject to the conditions of carriage and regulations of the carriers concerned, copies of which may be requested from each oneworld airline.
- For the purposes of this fare, the continents referred to are based on IATA tariff coordination areas, unless otherwise stated in the fare rules. Fares are calculated on the number of continents visited or passed through (including the continent of origin) and the class of travel.
- oneworld Explorer fares will be subject to taxes, passenger fees and charges.
- You are allowed to take two stopovers in total within your continent of origin in order to get to or from a gateway to commence or return from your international travel. After departing from your continent of origin, you may take up to four flights in each of the other continents (six in North America) and/or purchase up to two additional flights per continent, at a set rate.
- A maximum of 16 flight and surface segments are permitted for the entire journey. Intermediate surface sectors between two airports are permitted at passenger's expense.
- You may travel around as you wish within a continent (there are no backtracking limitations as long as you do not go back to the origin point), but you have to go around the world in a continuous forward direction, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans only once.
- Further conditions apply. Please speak to any oneworld member airlines (American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, JAL, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas or Royal Jordanian Airlines) or your travel agent if you have further questions in connection with your travel.
1. oneworld Explorer is available on scheduled flights that are both operated and marketed by a oneworld airline or on a oneworld member airline affiliate. (Marketed means a oneworld airline flight number must be on the ticket.)
2. American Airlines AAdvantage and British Airways Executive Club members can earn and redeem miles, and earn tier-status credit, on all eligible flights except:
- American Airlines AAdvantage members will not earn or redeem miles or earn tier status credit on British Airways flights between the USA and the UK and vice versa. AAdvantage miles and top tier status credit may be earned though miles may not be redeemed on all American Airlines codeshare services operated by British Airways when the booking is made under the AA code.
- British Airways Executive Club members will not earn or redeem miles or earn tier points on American Airlines transatlantic flights. BA miles and tier points may be earned though miles may not be redeemed on all British Airways codeshare services operated by American Airlines when the booking is made under the BA code.
3. At peak periods, access to certain lounges may be restricted due to capacity constraints. Access is available on the day of departure when the next onward flight is with a oneworld airline. Access may not apply at a limited number of third-party-operated lounges. Access is not available to AAdvantage members traveling on solely North American itineraries, defined as within or between the U.S., Canada, Mexico (except Mexico City), the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
4. Fares can be purchased for travel in First Class, Business Class or Economy Class. Premium Economy is available against surcharge on British Airways (World Traveller Plus), Qantas and JAL (between Asia and North America) flights operating that service. If an aircraft serving part of your itinerary doesn't have a First or Business Cabin, customers will be booked into a lower-class cabin. Mileage and tier points can be accrued only from eligible fares in the cabin flown.
5. Not more than two Europe/Middle East flights may be used for journeys between the U.K. and the following: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Malta, Morocco, Funchal, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia,Tunisia, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Within North America, only one transcontinental flight is allowed between selected cities on the East and West Coasts. Within Australia only one flight is permitted between Perth and Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne or Sydney or between Darwin or Broome and Melbourne or Sydney.
6. High and low season economy fares (where applicable) are determined by different sets of dates within each departure continent.
7. Minimum Stay of 10 days applies except if travel originates in Southwest Pacific, Hong Kong or Japan where there is no minimum stay in First and Business Class.
8. Three-zone oneworld Explorer fares are not available departing from the Southern Hemisphere and Africa due to network connection limitations.
Further rules and conditions may apply.
Each oneworld alliance airline reserves the right to change its frequent flyer programme rules, regulations, travel awards and special offers, and to end its frequent flyer programme in accordance with its relevant frequent flyer programme rules. Miles/points may be earned only on purchased, published fares.
All information contained herein is correct as of 01 June 2008 but is subject to change without notice.
American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, JAL, LAN, Malév, Qantas and Royal Jordanian are trademarks of their respective companies.