Flying in first class was an experience I hope to someday repeat. But I hate judging airlines by their first class service since most people never fly first class and that level of class should always be good. I judge airlines mostly on their economy class, since I and most other travelers usually fly in the back. So I was eager to fly British Airways again and see how the conditions were in the back of the plane.

While in Europe the past few months, I’ve had a chance to fly British Airways frequently. I’ve enjoyed them a lot. In fact, I think they are one of the better partners in the Oneworld Alliance.

However, the downside to BA is that they are very expensive. Their ticket prices are never cheap, and there always seem to be a lot of taxes and fees added on. Moreover, when you book a rewards ticket with them, you still have to pay those hefty fees. My first class ticket wasn’t actually free, despite the miles I used. I still had to pay about $275 USD in fees and taxes.

However, I’ve always enjoyed the service on their planes and on the ground. The staff is no more or less friendly than on any other airline. BA flight attendants tend to get a bad rap because they always seem to be striking, but my experience with them has always been positive. They aren’t the super duper jump-in-your-face friendly staff of most Asian carriers, but they aren’t the rude staff of U.S. Airways, either. When you need something, they are there, and that’s really all I want out of my flight staff.

The interior of most British Airways planes is generally comfortable and spacious. Last year, they redesigned their first class section, and I was lucky enough to be on one of those new planes. It was amazing. But even in economy class, I found the interiors much more modern and comfortable than many other airlines. Their new Embraer 170/190 is only few years old with the interior is appeasing to the eye, the seats comfortable, and a decent amount of legroom. Unfortunately, in many of their Airbus planes around Europe, you’ll find the interior old and shabby. They still have a lot of work to do in modernizing their fleet. On their larger long haul jets, it’s pretty hit or miss but at least you get a personal TV, which is something you don’t get on most American carriers.

My one complaint is that with their old planes, even though I had room, their seats are still a bit small. I would hate to be a really tall person on their flights. They are upgrading their 777 fleet soon, though, so hopefully that will improve the legroom.

As for the food? Well, in first class, it was pretty delicious, and the endless glasses of wine made for a really enjoyable flight to New York. However, on the economy class flights I took, I can’t say I am overly impressed. I haven’t had any of their food on a long haul international flight but the food on their short haul flights around Europe consisted of a very mini can of coke and a sandwich I don’t think even 7-11 would sell.

Overall, British Airways is a good airline but not a great airline. I wouldn’t go through hoops to fly them like I would Air New Zealand, Singapore, Cathay Pacific, or a lot of other airlines. But I wouldn’t skip them either. In fact, since American Airlines lacks personal TV screens in economy class, I’m now only flying British Airways across the Atlantic. Compared to other European airlines, I think they are better than KLM, Finn Air, Olympic, Aegean, and TAP.

So would I recommend British Airways? Yes, but given how many airlines they partner with, I would suggest booking with one of their partner airlines to avoid paying the high fare and monstrous amount of taxes and fees they charge. They always seem to be a few hundred dollars more expensive than other carriers. But at least you get a comfortable ride.

Back in 2008, I was going to join the JAL awards program because they not only partnered with Oneworld, but also a few other airlines I enjoy like Emirates. However, in the end, I joined American Airlines, which is also a Oneworld partner.

I joined American over JAL because I realized that when you don’t fly that much (and, back then, I didn’t), it is much harder to earn airline miles when you aren’t racking up points by using a travel credit card. So I picked American since they partnered with JAL and I could use their credit card to get bonus miles and miles by using the card for my day to day spending. I’ve been loyal to AA/Oneworld ever since.

Now, 3 years after my first post, I believe that unless you are a super flier, you shouldn’t stick to one airline or airline alliance. Using credit cards and special offers will get you all the extra points and miles you need to get free flights on any alliance. There’s no need to be loyal. The only thing gained by being loyal to one airline is elite status and the amazing perks that come with it.

And herein lies the problem. If you spread out your flights among a large number of different carriers, you dilute your mileage balance. It will take you ages to earn enough miles to redeem for a free flight, and you definitely won’t fly enough on one airline to gain elite status. It takes 20,000 miles on most airlines to get the lowest elite status. Most people don’t fly that much per year.

Elite status is all I care about. I want the extra perks – the free baggage, airport lounges, priority boarding, and free upgrades. I will pay more for a ticket and be loyal, because, in the end, the perks make the higher price worth it.

But for the casual flier? I don’t believe loyalty is worth it.

I don’t think anyone who flies less than 20,000 miles per year should even bother to be “loyal” to one airline. Unless you have a real affinity for one airline, the benefits you get for your “loyalty” aren’t worth the added price you are going to pay for your fare. I’ve stuck with American this year because I knew I would fly at least 20,000 miles and make at least their “Gold” status.

However, why pay more if you are only going to fly a few thousand miles per year? Don’t be loyal. Just go on price. If you know you aren’t going to meet the elite status threshold, why pay extra?

Loyalty is great if you know you are going to be using a service a lot. If you are always staying in hotels or flying tens of thousands of miles per year, staying loyal will get you a lot of added benefits. My platinum status with American gets me upgrades, lounge access, and the ability to skip the long check-in line. These conveniences are worth the extra money I’ve paid by taking American and their partners over cheaper airlines.

It makes sense to be loyal when you are a road warrior.

But when you are a casual traveler, it doesn’t make sense, because you pay more without seeing the added benefit of “status”. There are so many ways to get free miles these days that if you are just a casual, few-times-per-year flier, you are better off using those methods to get free business or first class tickets, which give you all the elite perks for that one flight anyways.

This year, I won’t make platinum status on Oneworld. By the time I get back to Europe, I’ll have flown 29,000 miles with American this year. It takes 50,000 miles to get to Platinum, the status higher than Gold. With only having one big flight left this year (my flight to Asia), there’s no way I will make Platinum. So, for the rest of the year, I am flying based on price alone. It’s not worth it for me to pay a higher fare for status I will never get. If I can’t be treated as an elite flier, why pay like one?

I think everyone should sign up for frequent flier programs. That way, when you use a company, you are accumulating rewards. Never miss a chance to get rewards. I’m a member of every airline and hotel loyalty program for this reason. But if you are only taking a couple of trips per year, there is no reason to be loyal to one program.

Save yourself money and go with the cheapest ticket.

Out of those four, I stick with American Airlines because they have the best customer service, a good frequent flier program, and friendly staff.

The flying experience on American Airlines is a lot better than other American airlines, and their planes are nicer too. American Airlines fleet may be a bit old (all the carriers are), but they still have a nice interior and their newer model planes are really good. The AA 767-300, for example, is pretty good. It’s their newer model and is a bit more spacious. The AA 767-200 is nice and it includes wi-fi. Unfortunately, like most American carriers, AA doesn’t offer personal television screens in the back of the seats on any of their continental flights. (I’m not even sure they have them internationally). Qantas flights from Sydney to Perth have personal screens, as does a two-hour flight on Eva Air flight, but you can forget about personal screens on continental flights in the US. I’d be more upset about this if AA was the only airline that did this, but every major American carrier does it with the exception of Jetblue and Virgin America. Even when I get upgraded to a better class, there are still no screens. This bothers me to no end. I don’t think there’s an excuse for not having personal screens in 2010.

September 2011 Update: I’ve recently flew American across the Atlantic from London to Boston. They fly 757s and in business class they have hard shell reclining seats with (very bad) personal viewing screens. Sadly, economy is still missing any modern amenity most travelers have come to expect on a long haul flight. I make me wonder why anyone would fly them internationally over one of their alliance partners that actually have personal T.V. screens and new interiors. The quality of the food was the same too.

Televisions aside, what keeps me flying with American Airlines is the service and their loyalty program. AA’s frequent flier program has better perks and rewards than its major competitor, United. You can forget about delta too, since Skyteam only has a few airline partners. While Star Alliance has more carriers, United (the major US Star Alliance partner) has an awful redemption policy. They don’t offer as many perks on lower elite status levels and their upgrade policy isn’t as good. Moreover, it takes more points to redeem your flights. I like American and, if the flight isn’t full, I’m automatically bumped up to the next class. Plus flights can be redeemed starting at 12,500 miles.

The main reason I like American is because they have better service. I’ve found their ground staff to be good, and their flight attendants are more accommodating than other airlines. If I oversleep and miss a meal or they run out of something, they usually give me a left over meal or some free alternatives. Plus, they usually pour me a stiff drink when I ask. They aren’t as grouchy as staff from other airlines and that makes a big difference.

But what really sealed the deal with American was an incident that happened a few weeks ago. I participated in the American Airlines challenge, which meant getting 10,000 points in three months for Platinum status. The booking code I had for my flight to Sydney should have qualified me for platinum status, but a Qantas desk agent messed up when I checked in and I didn’t get my points. I accumulated regular miles, but it didn’t count towards the challenge. Needless to say, I was quite upset and I called AA to complain. I also tweeted about my experience with them. A few days later, I received an email stating that they would give me platinum status because I had bought the ticket in good faith. They thanked me for my loyalty and now I have elite status on American. Last year, United broke a guy’s guitar and even after the guy made a viral video of it, they barely did anything. American Airlines seems to have learned a lesson from that incident.

So while AA’s planes are only slightly better than the rest and they still don’t TV screens in the head rests, at least they have good staff and better service than the rest of the carriers. At the end of the day, we use companies because we not only like their products, but also their employees. It’s the people that make the companies. And while their tickets aren’t always the cheapest, I like the folks at American Airlines.

Edit: The new AA 777s do have personal screens in all classes.

I find it ironic since nearly a year ago after the failed Christmas bombing, nearly everyone was for them but leave it to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to screw something up. They can’t do anything right. In principal, I am for the new machines. In fact, I would love more airport security akin to something like they have in Israel. But, every time I see the new machines, I will be opting out. It’s not the delays they cause I mind, it’s the fact the TSA is doing it.

For starters, there is the issue of safety. Every time I get my teeth X-rayed, my dentist puts a lead blanket over me and walks out of the room. Given that and what we know about X-rays in general, I have no desire to exposure myself to any type of X-ray, even if the TSA says it’s safe. This is especially worrying to me because I fly a lot and don’t want to get an X-ray every other week. If it was a once in a blue moon experience, I would be less concerned about the health effects. However, as a frequent flier, the long term effects of constant X-rays hasn’t been studied enough for me to say “O.K., this is safe and I will do it.”

But what concerns me more is that the TSA is doing this. I have no faith in the TSA. None. They always seem to be having security lapses and missing stuff. Years ago, a kid hid knives on Southwest planes to make a point about lax security. I know friend’s who have accidentally walked through with sharp objects. I’ve gotten scissors through. If they miss the little stuff, how will they catch the big stuff? I don’t trust them to stop the terrorists. When you pay people $10 dollars an hour, they aren’t really going to risk their life for a stranger nor are they going to be experts or professionals. TSA staff their power. Their are always reports of overzealous workers and bad experiences. Who ever really has a good interaction with them? Let’s get some real security experts and professional in there.

Moreover, as pointed out on Gizmodo, the X-ray images that were supposed to be erased were actually saved. How do we know this won’t happen again? Who’s to say that someone isn’t putting away a nice private collection of people to look at later? Given the TSA’s poor track record and how bad TSA agents are in general, I don’t trust them with these images and my privacy. I think people have genuine privacy concerns that are in part related to that fact that no one likes or trusts the TSA. Doing an X-ray requires giving up a lot of your privacy and that requires a lot of trust. Americans simply don’t have that kind of trust in the TSA anymore. Even Hillary Clinton would opt out.

But by opting out of this advanced screening process, gets you an intense and some would say intrusive pat down. The controversy over the X-ray machines really centers around this. People who have opted out have complained about insensitive searches and rude staff. Getting searched is even more intrusive than an X-ray and without it being done right, lots of issues will arise. There are already videos circulating over this (including this recent one involving a kid). In response to the complaints and videos circulating, the TSA issued this video:

Videos like this only make the TSA more hated. They are basically saying “we hear your concerns and we don’t care. Deal with our intrusive ways!” By doubling down and not trying to accommodate travelers, there will be even more backlash and already there are calls in Congress to have hearing on this issue. It’s simply too big of an issue now.

Once again the TSA has screwed up by being overzealous, uncaring, and especially unclear with their rules. Things are probably going to get worse especially as the TSA has dug in hits heels. It’s amazing they have not learned lessons from the past and continue to be so bad. They need better employees, better policies, and more training on how to interact with travelers. Everyone wants airport security. I believe there is a way to strike a good balance between security and professionalism.

Yet, since I am more worried about health and how images are being stored than I am about some guy coping a feel, I am going to opt for the pat down. But I’m not happy about it because I don’t think it will be done in a professional way and the numerous reports and complaints already show that I will encounter problems. Police officers go through intensive classes on how to handle body searches with the utmost care. TSA employees don’t go through such rigorous training. I would rather do the x-ray machine than an “intensive” pat down. However, until health and privacy concerned are addressed, I will be passing up machines and hoping the TSA agent doesn’t get “too feely.”

After taking four flights with US Airways, I can tell you that I won’t be switching from American any time soon. I didn’t enjoy any of my flights. The airplanes themselves weren’t that bad. They were pretty standard in their design, comfort, and configuration. I never felt that the seats were too small or that I was missing anything I could get on another carrier. However, I did notice that most of the planes I flew on were old. They had definitely seen better days and could have used an overhaul on the interior. Then again, so could many of the planes I fly on.

What really annoyed me about US Airways was the service. Right from check in it was all downhill. For starters, they are the only major carrier I know of that charges a baggage fee on international flights. Usually, if you are flying international, you can avoid it. On US Airways, you still have to pay a $25 per bag fee. When I asked the check in clerk where I dropped my bag (it was self check-in in Boston), with attitude she said over there, moving her head towards an area near the left. She barely looked up from her computer screen. When I followed up with asking her where the gate was, she looked even more annoyed. It was as though I was an inconvenience to her day. While connecting in Charlotte to Tampa, my flight was delayed. Arriving at the gate, I asked the gate agent if she knew how long the delay might be as I was hoping to eat quickly. Scowling at me, she said, “I don’t know. It could be any minute. I’ll post it when I know.” Woah! Overall, I felt like I as a passenger was an annoyance to the ground staff.

That attitude transferred into the air as well. The flight attendants also seemed to have a chip on their shoulders. They were never polite in their radio addresses or in their interactions with passengers. There announcements on safety procedures always seem condescending as if everyone on the plane should already know this stuff. I saw an attendant threaten to take away a passenger’s phone if he didn’t put it away. There never seemed to be any kindness from the staff on these flights. I know they have a hard job and are probably grossly underpaid but like the saying goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.” When I fly American Airlines, they flight attendants are much nicer and I’m sure equally mistreated in their job!

After flying with US Airways, I can tell you I’ll never fly with them again. I’ll always give an airline the benefit of the doubt. After all, everyone can have one bad flight. I can have a bad experience at Best Buy but that doesn’t mean Best Buy is always bad. But after four flights on two different routes and two different days, I realized there’s no reason to switch from American Airlines. In fact, if you are traveling to the states or traveling around the states, my advice to you is to avoid US Airways. Even United is better.

If I had to rank Qantas, I’d put them in the middle. As an American, I suffer from having to deal with companies like American Airlines, United, and Delta. These airlines rank at the bottom of my list in terms of well, everything. The top of my list are the Asian airlines like JAL, Cathay, and Singapore.

Qantas fits in the middle. I have nothing great to say about them but neither anything really bad. The service on all my flights was excellent. The staff was always friendly, they came quickly when I rang the bell, and served the food promptly. I hate having to wait for dinner.

Speaking of dinner, I find the food on Qantas to be better than normal but nothing that blows my mind away. In fact, I’m rarely ever blown away by food on an airplane. I’m sure it’s better in business or first class but, in steerage, it’s a bit above microwaved food quality. Qantas serves food a little better than the rest though. It wasn’t amazing but it certainly good enough to finish completely and leave you full.

But what sets Qantas apart in my book is their in-flight entertainment system. I was impressed with it back in 2008 and I am still impressed by it. They have an amazing selection of movies. And not old, I saw it last year movies. Even recent hits as well as some independent films. I watched 500 days of summer, the Hurt locker, and The Hangover on my flight over from Bangkok. They have lots of old movies, good TV shows, and you can even listen to full albums of the most popular artists on the charts.

The bottom line here is that Qantas is a good airline to fly. It may not be the best but it is certainly not the worst. Moreover, if you are a member of the Oneworld alliance, you’ll find them one of the better carriers to fly in the alliance. If you aren’t, Qantas always has amazing deals and inexpensive flight tickets when compared to other major carriers. Moreover, if you go to their Australia website, you can purchase your ticket in Australian dollars, which if you are coming from a country with a better currency, can save you even more money.

Yet I’ve still managed to find a way to fly business class most of the time I fly anywhere! There are a lot of easy ways to get into business class without earning the elite qualifying miles that put you there. How? Simple. Airlines make it easy to accrue miles without every having to fly then.

First, get an airline miles credit card. If the travel rewards you want are airlines miles, then getting a credit card tied a single airline alliance is the best thing you can do to get into business class. You’ll accrue miles in one place and have the best opportunity for deals and rewards that many general travel rewards cards don’t offer.

For starters, you get a big sign up bonus. My American Advantage card gave me 25,000 miles just for joining. That’s a free round trip domestic ticket or miles I can use for an upgrade. United Airlines gives you 30,000 miles for signing up. Delta offers miles AND elite status miles when you sign up.

Second, money you spend on the card is converted into miles. I charge everything because of the miles it gets me. I am like Ryan Bingham from “Up in the Air.” I don’t spend any money without getting miles from it. There are over 56,000 miles in my AA account and I’ve only flown flown about 11,000 of those miles. I have enough miles to upgrade myself from coach to business class.

Moreover, airlines sometimes offer incredible deals with these cards. I recently got a British Airways card. They had a 50,000 miles sign up bonus plus another 50,000 after I spent my first $2,000 dollars, which considering I was going to buy a new computer anyways, was easy to do. Moreover, for every dollar you spend, you get 1.25 miles added to your account. I now have over 105,000 miles with British Airways and I haven’t even flown with them once. I just bought my new computer on the card. Yet now I have enough for a free business or first class ticket when I do fly with them.

Next, use an airlines preferred partners. AA is always sending me information about deals for double miles if I shop at their preferred retailer. So I do. More miles for me. Keep an eye out for special deals and offers and you’ll grow your mileage balance quickly. I rented a car last June with Avis and got an extra 1,000 miles simply for using my AA card.

Moreover, use your family. My parents might fly once a year. My sister might fly twice. They don’t really need or use their miles. My parents use my credit card to purchase all their tickets and when they fly, they transfer their miles over to my account. There is a small fee but it’s worth the extra miles. After they visit Israel this year, the miles they both earned will end up in my AA account.

If you are an American Airlines flier, take their challenge. If you pay 300 dollars and fly 10,000 miles in three months, you will get executive platinum status for a year. If you do this after June, the status carries over for the next full year, giving you 18 months. Platinum status gets you automatic upgrades, priority check in, boarding, and lounge access. Take one flight to Asia and you’ve earned it.

To get a lot of miles without actually flying, you need to use credit cards. Airline specific credit cards are the quickest way to get into business class. You just need to keep an eye out for offers and jump on them when they occur.

Airlines love when people actually fly the miles they earn and they treat those who do with extra special care. However, they make it so easy to earn the points to get into business class, that it’s silly to not take advantage. Business class is no longer out of the reach of even the most infrequent flier. Take advantage of this system and fly business class for free.

Last year, I decided to join the Oneworld network, which meant I had to join American’s frequent flier program. Let me tell you- I hate American Airlines. Their planes are old, they never have personal viewing screens, and microwaved food is a better option than what they serve in coach. But I fly them because my reward points transfer over to the airlines I love to fly- Japan Airlines, Cathay, and Qantas.

But flying these big carriers rarely gets me a cheap fare. My flight back to America could have been two hundred dollars cheaper if I flew Aer Lingus. My flights around the states could have been done for half if I had flown Southwest, Air Tran, or Jetblue. Though, my return flight to Europe is on Air France because I simply couldn’t justify the huge ransom American was asking.

So why do I, a budget traveler with numerous articles on flying cheap, spend the money? Because when you are a frequent flier, cheap flights are not a cheap long term option. If you only take a couple of flights a year, going for the lowest cost is your best bet. The length of time it would take for you to accrue miles towards a free flight could not justify the higher flight costs. However, if take a large number of flights each year or even just a few long haul flights, then joining for a frequent flier program makes much more sense.

Elite status on frequent flier programs gets you a number of perks:

• Quicker check-in
• Quicker boarding
• Airline lounge access
• Complimentary Upgrades

For someone who is in an airport every month, those things are real luxuries I want to have. Long lines for both check-in and security are very frustrating. You know the drill but most people don’t. This is especially true in security lines when you have your shoes off and laptop out while the person ahead of you is still fumbling for the bin. Additionally, frequent flier points give you lounge access. Airline lounges have good, free food and free internet, which can make long layovers and waits more bearable. Most importantly though, elite status gives you free upgrades and the ability to get business class and first class tickets at a coach price. Not having to be in coach on the 14 hour flight to Tokyo? Priceless.

For long term travelers, it makes a lot of sense to join these programs. You fly a lot and you should be rewarded as such. Even if you are on a one year trip around the world, you should join a frequent flier program. During your trip around the world, you’ll take at least six flights, most of which will be long haul. By the time you reach the end of your trip, you’ll have accumulated enough points for a free flight, which can be used to extend your trip, or should you have trouble dealing with being home, a quick trip somewhere. Though you will be paying extra, the perks of the problem will pay for itself in no time as you’ll be flying more comfortably.

Moreover, there are plenty of good ways to gain points before you leave. If you get a rewards credit card, you can get points for every dollar you spend. My AA account has over 40,000 points because of flight points, a huge sign up bonuses (25,000), and spending. I already close enough for a free international flight and I’ve done nothing special.

For infrequent fliers, it makes little sense to pay a premium for flights. You should always go cheap. But for frequent fliers, long term travelers, or round the world travelers, signing up for a rewards program will benefit you greatly over the long term as you’ll accumulate miles and elite status quickly. This will get you free flights to keep you traveling much longer. When you travel often, it’s important to travel smarter and, sometimes, cheap isn’t the smartest option.

One of the things I like most about flying Asian airlines is the level of service they offer. Their western counterparts keep slashing services and raising fees while the Asian carriers keep making your experience more enjoyable. Even the budget airlines like Air Asia offer better service than carriers like US Airways, Air Canada, Ryanair, or American Airlines. On my six hour return flight to Boston from London with AA, I had a crappy meal, a surly attendant, and no personal viewing screen. On my three hour flight to Taipei from Bangkok, I got a delicious meal, a free beer, two ultra friendly attendants, and my own viewing screen. It’s not hard to decide which airline I like better.

It’s because of service like that that I always try to fly non-western carriers whenever I can. I’m part of the Oneworld alliance because my American Airlines frequent flier miles work with Eva Air, Cathay, and Japan Airlines. These are my favorite airlines to fly. Eva Air was simply exceptional. For starters, the seats, even in coach, were plenty big and very comfortable. I had more room than I knew what to do with. While I’m not a big guy and usually have plenty of room, I found I had slightly more than normal in these seats.

The food on the flight was delicious. You get a choice between two meals. I took the chicken and rice, topped off with a a nice Taiwanese beer. Overall, it was one of the most delicious airline meals I’ve ever had. Usually, I never finish my meal because, by about halfway, I tend to get ill from the taste (I’m looking at you Air Canada!) but I devoured all of this.

Moreover, you get a wide range selections on the viewing screen. There were about five movies, a few games, a handful of Taiwanese, Australian, and American T.V. shows, and plenty of movie channels. The staff is very friendly and they smile. That may not seem like a big deal but I can’t remember the last time I actually saw an attendant smile. The Eva Air crew really seemed to care about my comfort.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time flying with Eva. It is an airline that I would fly again and recommend to anyone. If you are in the Oneworld network, Eva is a code share partner with most of the alliance members. Additionally, Eva Air is usually a cheaper option to fly too, though you often have to connect via Taipei. I would definitely consider flying them the next time you fly in Asia.

Round the world (RTW) tickets can be a convenient way to fly. They get you where you want to go without having to worry about booking lots of flights along the way. You simply call up the airline, pick a flight, and you’re done. Seems easy, right? Well, it is not always that easy, but most of the time it is.

However, round the world tickets can cost a lot of money, especially if you are going on a long and complex trip. So it begs the question – are RTW tickets worth the money you pay?

How Round the World Tickets work:
A RTW ticket is essentially an airline pass. The ticket is used on any one of the air alliance networks, such as the Star Alliance, Oneworld, or World Journey.

Round the world tickets give you a set number of stops over a set time period of (usually) one year. You pick your mileage — usually from 29,000 to 40,000 miles — and the number of stops you make depends on the number of miles you choose. There is usually a minimum of three stops, with the maximum depending on the alliance. One typical RTW route is LAX-FIJI-SYD-BANGKOK-LON-NYC-LAX.

Round the world tickets cost between $2,700 and $5,000, depending on stops, mileage, and class. Stops, mileage, and dates can all be changed later for a fee, and fees vary from alliance to alliance. Simple tickets with only two or three stops can cost as little as $1,500. (Note: Tickets are also vastly cheaper if you start outside the United States.)

Are they worth it?
RTW tickets can be a good value if you have a set route and schedule, and are only going to major destinations. You can book all your flights at once, avoiding any future fare increases.

However, if there is one thing I have learned from traveling, it’s that nothing happens as you plan. While some travelers stick to their gap year schedule, most like to take things day by day. If you make any changes to your plans, you are going to pay high fees that will increase the cost of that ticket. Decide you love Australia and want to stay? Now that RTW ticket doesn’t look so good.

When I went around the world, I looked into a RTW ticket but decided against it. I could do it cheaper.

My costs:

US to Oslo: FREE with miles
Athens to Bangkok: $500
Bangkok-Perth: $200
Sydney to LAX: $700
LAX to Boston: $200

Total: $1,600

(This total doesn’t include all the little side flights I took, which would probably make the total cost closer to $2,600.)

My “route” is typical of RTW tickets, but I was able to do it much cheaper than a true RTW ticket could have cost. I could wait for good prices. I had no time frame. No restrictions. I could fly the cheaper airlines or wait until my reward points added up. I lived free, and I flew cheap.

Alternatives to RTW tickets
Book it yourself. By booking yourself, you have more flexibility. You can use low-cost carriers as well as take advantage of flight deals. It’s more work, but can end up saving you a few hundred dollars that can better be spent on food, rooms, and beer.

Example: Air Treks priced out LAX-SYD-BKK-ATH-LON-NYC-LAX from anywhere between $2900 to $3800 dollars. The variance depended on when I flew. However, I suspect you’ll rarely find something at the bottom end.

I went to a few airline websites and priced the ticket out myself:

LAX- SYD: $700 on Air Pacific
SYD- SING: $360 by leaving from Melbourne and taking Tiger Air.
BKK-ATH: $600 on Gulf Air
LON-NYC: $400 on British Airways
NYC-LAX: $300 on American Airlines

Total: $2,900

I got the lower end of the range by booking by myself. That was without using any deals, miles or rewards that might have reduced the price even more.

However, taking a simpler route, I couldn’t beat them. AirTreks has a NYC-BKK-MUNICH-LON-NYC ticket for $1500-$2000, and pricing it out by myself came to $1700.

For simple routes, RTW tickets are a good deal, but for the more complex trips, I don’t think they are the cheaper option.

Use Low-Cost Carriers.  Low-cost carriers are great for reducing costs. Few exist in the U.S. but in Asia, Europe, and parts of Latin America, these carriers are abundant. They often fly the same routes and cost half as much as the major carriers.

Reward Yourself. If you don’t have a rewards credit card, get one. Most credit cards will give you 20,000 miles just for signing up. You’ll get points for everything you buy, special offers, and miles when you fly. Even if all the work pays for only one ticket, that can make a huge difference.

Round the world tickets can be good for travelers who have a set route and a set time table. But for those who have no plan, these tickets are not worth it.