paul4471 wants to buy an around the world ticket.  Like many FTers, paul4471 has read up that the fare varies considerably by originating country and that surcharges also vary considerably by ticketing airline.

paul4471 also read that the RTW desk of American Airlines, based in USA, has knowledgeable agents and you can make a booking there and transfer to another American Airlines office for ticketing at a lower price than that offered ex-USA.

So far, so good.  Where it started going wrong is unclear but recently paul4471 had difficulty in getting the right fare for ticketing.  paul4471 was in contact with the Japan ticket office of American Airlines, having previously booked the trip through the US-based round the world desk and paying with an Australian credit card.  The agent was based in Australia, but answering the phone line for Japan, and was confused over what was the right fare to charge (the ex-Japan price if you’ve been following closely enough).

Ah, the globalised aviation industry and rules, with FT playing it’s part too.

The saga isn’t over yet - read about it here.

Qantas today joins the other major local frequent flyer programs (Virgin Blue’s Velocity Rewards and Air New Zealand’s Airpoints) in offering any seat awards.  Check out the news, including just how expensive it can be (hint the number of points can reach 7 figures!), in the discussion here.

In the new Travel with Pets forum, FlyerTalk member obscure2k posted a link to a news article which discusses the increase in airfares for transporting pets.

However, there is apparently a bright side to the airfare increases to transport pets: FlyerTalk member RSSrsvp says here: “Kudos to the airlines that are giving extra miles/points/free pet travel bonuses to people traveling with their pets. If they are going to charge such a high tariff we should at the very least receive something in return.”

For additional information, including just how much it might cost to transport Fido and Whiskers and when these airfare increases are scheduled to take effect, please refer to the Airlines Hike Pet Fares thread.

Imagine how surprised FlyerTalk member bdemaria was to find that even though points were used to pay for a room at a Hilton hotel property at one of the airports in London, cash was also charged.

No, this is not one of those deals where one can use points and cash to pay for a stay where part of the stay is paid for with cash and the remainder with points, which can be a good deal. Rather, bdemaria was charged US$400.00, which is the actual room rate, in addition to the 40,000 Hilton HHonors points that was spent.

Read the used points but still charged for room? thread to find out at which Hilton property this occurred, what advice and commentary fellow Hilton FlyerTalk members posted, as well as what the resolution will be.

As I regularly do, I decided to search for a pertinent topic in a forum which I do not usually peruse, hoping to highlight a thread to post here.

The forum I chose this time was the Women Travelers forum.

The first thread that popped out at me was the How do I put this delicately… thread.

I then wondered how I can post this thread and its subject matter delicately in order to be posted here.

I cannot.

As with the discussion in the thread thus far, let us just say that it involves the transport by women of personal items that use batteries and leave it at that.

For additional information, you will have to visit the How do I put this delicately… thread for yourself…

The hot topic in the Delta forum on FlyerTalk is that Delta Continues to Adjust to Unprecedented Fuel Costs with Addition of Fuel Surcharge.

Delta Air Lines has announced today that effective August 15, 2008, the SkyMiles program will add a $25 surcharge for Award Travel between the 50 states and Canada and a $50 surcharge for Award Travel between the 50 states/Canada and all international destinations.

FlyerTalk members are currently debating the legality of these additional charges. Additionally, some FlyerTalk members are declaring that the days of the free award ticket are gone, while others comment that they have been gone for a long time because of government and security fees.

FlyerTalk member humanoid94 laments that The frequent flyer game is basically over. Is he correct?

What do you think?

FlyerTalk member RadioGirl has some questions regarding this very topic.

Is there a point at which one is disabled enough to qualify for wheechair assistance? This is one of several questions asked in the Wheelchair assistance - who qualifies and some questions thread.

Other questions include:

• How do I/they handle moving my checked baggage?
• Some have mentioned tipping the wheelchair helpers. Is this the usual thing and if so, how much?
• Am I going to attract unpleasant attention?

Find out the answers to these and other questions in the Wheelchair assistance - who qualifies and some questions thread.

This question is rather self-explanatory.

Find out in the What Worldwide Airline WOULDN’T you fly….ever? thread which airlines some FlyerTalk members avoid, and for what reasons.

For example, FlyerTalk member BearX220 says the following about Pakistan International Airlines: “I had a good friend killed in a PIA crash circa 1989, actually, so they’re off my list as well.”

As a bonus, you will probably learn of airlines other FlyerTalk members avoid that you did not even know existed.

I personally will not fly Eastern, TWA, PanAm, Braniff, National, ValuJet, PeoplEXPRESS and other airlines such as those these days, but that is only because they do not exist anymore.

How would you like to take a companion with you to Paris in premium coach class or business class on OpenSkies, the new subsidiary of British Airways?

Do not be fooled by the word “coach”: I have experienced this class of service personally, and it is better than what some other airlines call business class.

If you are interested, you only have until June 27 to purchase your tickets.

Please refer to this FlyerTalk announcement for additional details.

How would you like to be in the situation that FlyerTalk member jan_az was in where she incurred a $76 minibar charge - actually US$76.80 - for a minibar to which she did not ever have the key in her possession?

Even worse, the charge was allegedly applied after she left the hotel!

She will need to unlock the mystery of the key charge for phantom minibar items never consumed. Can she beer to deal with the nuts who applied this charge, or will she wine and complain about it until the people responsible for the minibar charge go crackers and rescind it? Does she feel all juiced up about fighting it in sprite of the difficulty that lies ahead to resolve this issue, will she simply pop, or will she just keep the issue bottled up inside her?