Rules and constraints index

The previous airport reference is useful for search and display but should not be treated as the only source of truth.

Baggage allowance can change across carriers, cabins, ticket types and separate tickets.

RTW products may provide a broad baggage framework, but actual baggage handling can still vary by carrier, cabin, fare family and ticketing structure.

A flight may have seats in the cabin but not in the booking class required by the fare.

The route can be valid but not sellable if a required booking class is unavailable on one sector.

A business class quote with one economy sector is not wrong if disclosed, but it must not be hidden in the itinerary.

Clients understand complex RTW quotes better when the advisor first explains the journey structure.

Fare products may define continents, regions or traffic areas differently from everyday geography.

If the trip includes a cruise, flight pricing must respect embarkation, disembarkation and safe arrival buffers.

Identify whether the route is broadly eastbound, westbound, regional circle or mixed.

Repeated reversals can increase mileage, break fare rules, raise taxes and make servicing harder.

The route should be treated as eastbound, westbound or mixed. Mixed direction routings are not wrong automatically, but they need stricter review.

Travel generally proceeds east or west. Limited zigzagging may be allowed within a continent, but advisors must validate the current rule.

Start with why the traveller is going, which places are fixed, what is flexible, and how much servicing risk they will accept.

Fixed points are non-negotiable dates or destinations. Wishlist points can be moved, removed or repriced.

Frontend route pages should show advisor cautions when a route is migrated from legacy data.

Migrated examples show route concepts only. They do not prove that a route is valid, available, priceable or ticketable under a current product.

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.

If a product is mileage-based, calculate before the route becomes emotionally fixed for the client.

If the product is mileage-based, mileage caps matter; however, a low-mileage route can still fail other rules.

Formal RTW products commonly require one Atlantic and one Pacific crossing. Extra crossings may invalidate the fare.

Open jaws make sense for tours, cruises and self-drive trips, but may affect fare validity.

An open jaw can be cleaner than forcing a flight back to the original arrival city. It can also increase rule complexity.

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.

The core educational concept is that continent count is central to the product logic.

The core educational concept is that total distance/mileage is central to the product logic.

Circle Pacific-style travel is built around Pacific-bordering regions rather than global circumnavigation.

Formal RTW fares are not automatically the best option. Published fares can be cheaper or more flexible for some routes.

Before sending, check route sequence, dates, names, passports, cabin, baggage, ticketing deadline, payment deadline, supplier conditions and disclosure notes.

Short European or Japanese rail sectors often belong outside the RTW airfare.

Previous route descriptions often used wording such as make your own way. In the current database this should be treated as a surface sector or open-jaw indicator requiring advisor review.

A strong RTW quote starts by understanding why each stop exists. Mandatory stops, optional stops and filler stops must be separated before pricing.

The anchor component is the element that drives the itinerary: a wedding, cruise, conference, family visit, expedition, school term, or fixed event.

More sectors mean more schedule-change exposure. The itinerary should include buffers around hard events.

Circle Pacific Explorer is a circle fare around the Pacific region, not a full circumnavigation fare.

Formal rule extracts may limit total coupons/segments. Count rerouted and surface handling according to the product.

Segment limits can invalidate otherwise logical routes.

Segment caps can kill an otherwise attractive itinerary. Count expected sectors before detailed availability work.

Separate tickets can reduce protection when flights are delayed, changed or cancelled.

Separate tickets can be useful, but they shift risk to the traveller if one component fails.

A traveller may think every city is a stop. The fare rule may count stopovers differently.

A stay of 24 hours or more is commonly treated as a stopover in RTW guidance, but the active fare rule controls the final definition.

Stopovers are a limited resource under many products. Use them on destinations that matter rather than accidental overnights.

A rail, cruise, car or self-arranged sector can alter mileage, open-jaw logic and responsibility.

If a traveller moves independently between airports, the advisor should know how, when, and who owns the risk if that movement fails.

Intermediate surface sectors may be permitted at passenger expense, with restrictions on transoceanic surface sectors.

A cheaper-looking base fare can lose once surcharges and airport taxes are added.

Taxes, carrier charges, ticketing fees and exchange movements can materially change the payable price.

Ticketing deadlines vary based on reservation timing and departure date. Advisors must check the current rule.

Availability and fare levels can change until ticketing is complete.

A quote without a ticketing deadline is incomplete. Seats and fares can change before the client decides.

A transfer can still affect minimum connection time, baggage handling, terminal movement and disruption risk.

A transfer city is not the same as a meaningful stop. If the client wants to experience the city, treat it as a stopover and check the rule impact.

A route may require visas or entry permissions even when the traveller believes they are only transiting.