world air travel

Round the World Tickets: The Ultimate Guide (Updated 2024)

Y ou've probably heard about round the world tickets, a one-stop shop approach to cross-continental flying. But let's be real: it's never been easier to book flight tickets yourself, and round the world tickets are pricey. So why do people book round the world tickets, and are they  actually worth the cost?

The quick answer is, it depends . If you're pressed for time, have a seriously fixed itinerary with many international stops to make, it can be cost-wise. However, if you have a whimsical, budget-conscious trip in mind, or are focusing on just one part of the world, there are cheaper options out there that you should know about  (like finding fares yourself on Skyscanner on Kiwi.com ).

So, here's everything you need to know about round the world tickets, followed by our DIY approach that could save you even more money!

• 1 How do Round The World tickets work?
• 2 How to book a round the world ticket
• 3 What are the restrictions and/or setbacks?
• 4 The alternative: book separate flights yourself
• 5 How to book your own round the world trip
• 6 So, what's the cheapest option?
• 7 A Thrifty Case Study: A Round the World Trip from New York City
• 8 What are the alternatives?
• 9 So, is a round the world ticket worth it?

How do Round The World tickets work?

Round the world (RTW) tickets are flight packages that let you visit a number of destinations around the world for one price. These tickets are offered by airline alliances like SkyTeam, Oneworld, and Star Alliance. All the flights in your itinerary must be served by airlines within the chosen alliance.

RTW tickets require you to select your destinations and departure dates in advance. This means you prepay for the pass and book all of your flights before your trip. Note: you don't have to actually fly “around the world” with these tickets , they're also sold as multi-city flights, continent-based travel, or by miles.

The perk of RTW tickets is the ability to book all flights at once at a discounted price, plus ensures a mass accumulation of frequent flyer miles since you'll only be flying partner airlines. You can even purchase part or all of your RTW ticket with relevant miles, where permitted.

How to book a round the world ticket

Round the world tickets can be purchased directly with airline alliances or via  travel agents .

Airline Alliances

• OneWorld Alliance
• Star Alliance

Each alliance offers an online trip planner that allows you to put in every stop of your itinerary and get a price quote. It also makes it easy to work around the restrictions of round the world tickets, warning you when your planned route doesn't meet the requirements. All alliances offer online booking, or you can call one of the participating alliance airlines directly.

Travel Agents

• AirTreks (U.S. – our top choice & has 32+ years experience in RTW planning)
• Liberty Travel (U.S.)
• Flight Centre ( Australia , U.K. , Canada )
• RoundAbout Travel (Australia)
• Student Flights (Australia)
• A travel agent local to you

Travel agents have exclusive access to flight deals, plus receive discounts accessible only via their IATA code. They also save a great deal of time and money whilst adhering to your budget and needs. Find an agency that specializes in round the world tickets, so they're aware of the restrictions and can secure the best price.

What are the restrictions and/or setbacks?

RTW tickets often more expensive than a DIY approach (covered later), especially given they exclude budget airlines. Furthermore, there are restrictions to follow, so ensure you've read the fine print. Such restrictions typically include:

• A minimum number of flights to book (typically three), as well as a maximum
• Flights usually must be within the same airline alliance. This can sometimes result in obscure stopovers to stay with partner alliances.
• Restrictions on the direction of travel (e.g. East to West only) and/or requiring you to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at least once
• All flights must end in the city you started from and connect from city-to-city (i.e. you can't fly into London, then take a train to fly out of Paris)
• A minimum number of stopovers
• Additional surcharges for itinerary changes and/or flying to certain destinations
• Missing a flight in your itinerary could result in the remaining flights being cancelled, even if days or weeks away

Whew! Though there are many restrictions, most will come up when making your booking . Simply use the round the world ticket planners provided by each alliance, put in your desired destinations, and the options and costs will be presented automatically.

The alternative: book separate flights yourself

The value of a round the world ticket depends on the route you're taking and the flexibility needed. More often than not, you'll find it's cheaper, easier, and more flexible to book your own round the world trip online across several bookings using multi-destination flight search engines like Kiwi.com  and Skyscanner . You also can mix and match airlines, and aren't confined by the restrictions that accompany an actual RTW ticket.

Credit card points programs also allow multi-city flight bookings, effectively allowing you to book your own round the world trip via points or a combination of cash and points. You can readily rack up a significant amount of miles just by hitting the minimum spend within a set time. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is our top pick as a beginner card. On hitting its minimum spend, you can earn up to 60,000 points worth $750 – more than enough for an international flight .

Flight deal subscriptions like Scotts Cheap Flights compile discounted airfare to your inbox, based on the desired departure airports. Whilst this doesn't include RTW flights, this could help you cover some of the legs of your trip, as it has majorly discounted international flights departing the U.S. For those outside America, similar services exist in the U.K. ( Jack's Flight Club ) and Canada ( Next Departure ).

The only major drawbacks with booking a RTW ticket yourself is the time and patience needed to make the booking. Additionally, you may end up with frequent flyer miles spread across a variety of programs, without enough miles in any program to use them. Most likely though, you'll come out ahead financially doing it yourself.

How to book your own round the world trip

Kiwi.com  and Skyscanner are the two flight search engines we recommend for booking your own tickets for a round the world trip. They include budget airlines and let you search multi-destination flights, letting you see prices for your entire itinerary at once.

The key difference between the two is that Skyscanner prefers results from partner airlines , while Kiwi.com will always  mix and match airlines (including budget airlines) for the cheapest price . Either booking site can be beneficial depending on your trip, so to get the best price, be sure to compare results and follow these tips:

• Experiment with  the order of your destinations for the best price. Just because a flight is shorter doesn't mean it will be cheaper.
• Experiment with the  dates of each flight . This can be time consuming, but if you're dedicated, you can shave hundreds of dollars off your total cost by simply finding the cheapest dates for each flight.
• Multi-city and  return flights are often better value than booking many one-way flights when they can all be fulfilled by the same airline/alliance. For example, Virgin Atlantic has routes from New York to London, London to Shanghai, and Shanghai to New York, so making one multi-city booking with this single airline will be cheaper than several individual bookings with different airlines.
• Skyscanner prefers partner airlines that can fulfil the entire itinerary you submit, which doesn't always get you the best price on complex itineraries. So if you have a lot of destinations, split your searches into 3-4 destinations at a time . For example, instead of submitting New York > London  > Paris > Beijing > New York as a single search, try searching New York > London > Paris as one search, and Paris > Prague > Beijing > New York as a second search. You don't have to worry about this on Kiwi.com , which always mixes and matches airlines to get the best results.

So, what's the cheapest option?

In our tests, the DIY approach is always cheaper, but it depends on the kind of trip you're taking. Round the world tickets can cost anywhere from $1,500 USD to $20,000 USD . The price varies greatly, and depends on your departure point, number of flights, distance flown, continents flown to, and flight class.

On the other hand, regular flight ticket prices are all over the map, dependent mostly on supply and demand. Sometimes a flight across continents can be even cheaper than a flight within your own country. Since regular flight tickets include budget airlines , sale and error fares , and you can still take advantage of discounts with partner airlines,  booking your own flight tickets has always been cheaper for us .

The only way to know for sure is to compare. Use the links provided in this guide and see what gives you the best result!

A Thrifty Case Study: A Round the World Trip from New York City

As an example, let's find the best price for the following round the world trip:  New York City > London > Paris > Prague > Beijing > Hong Kong > New York City . We want to go in  April and May , and we are booking now in  January . We'll start on Tuesday, April 10, and schedule each consecutive flight for the following Tuesday.

Option 1: A round the world travel agent

Booking with AirTreks also gives you a team with over 32 years of experience in RTW planning, all your tickets in one spot (instead of many confusing separate bookings), 24/7 support, and better routes (less layover time, more baggage, etc.) If you do find a cheaper fare yourself, let them know – AirTreks tells us they're confident they could beat it!

Option 2: A round the world ticket booked directly with airline alliances

Putting in the same itinerary into each of the airline alliances' round the world trip planner gives us the following totals:

• OneWorld: $3,738.86 USD
• SkyTeam: $3,904.28 USD
• Star Alliance: $4,543.84 USD

Not exactly thrifty, and up to 3x the advertised price of the travel agent! True round the world tickets require strategic planning, so using a travel agent's expertise can save you time and money. But let's take a look at booking regular airline tickets yourself…

Option 3: Book your own tickets using Kiwi.com and Skyscanner

Using the Kiwi.com multicity search feature, we enter our full itinerary, and within minutes, we have a variety of options from $1,390 – $1,434 USD .

As we mentioned, Skyscanner usually just shows results from  partner airlines that can fulfill a ticket for the entire route. This route is pretty complex, and it's unlikely one airline alliance could fulfill it all, so let's  break it up .

After half an hour of trying different combinations of multi-city and one-way searches, the cheapest combination I could find for these dates was

• New York City > London > Paris > Prague: $390 USD
• Prague > Beijing: $283 USD
• Beijing > Hong Kong: $119 USD
• Hong Kong > New York City: $493 USD
• TOTAL TRIP COST: $1,285 USD

This is the cheapest option, beating Kiwi.com by only $105. What's going on here? In short, trial and error. The first batch of airlines aren't partners, but Skyscanner sometimes lets you mix and match airlines by using Kiwi.com for booking. And although there are partner airlines to fulfill the rest of the route, Hong Kong Airlines is an independent budget airline with competitive pricing, so it ended up being cheaper to book the flights separately in order to include their fares.

You can take this even further by testing different dates in your itinerary, as well as the order of your flights. As you can see, the process can be time consuming, but a little time rewards you with hundreds or thousands of dollars saved!

What are the alternatives?

Regional flight passes.

While not a round the world ticket in itself, this type of flight pass might be more sensible for your trip, depending whether you'll be flying a lot in one region versus globally. For instance, if you are planning to take more flights around South America than across continents, then you may be better off investing in one of their regional passes (check our guide here ).

Some examples of regional flight passes include:

• OneWorld single-continent passes: available for Africa, Asia, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Malaysia, South America, Europe, North America, Middle East, South Asian Sub-Continent
• OneWorld multi-continent passes: rather than flying all the way around the world, these passes let you fly in a circle around one smaller area of the world
• SkyTeam regional passes : available for Asia & Southwest Pacific, Africa, Asia, Europe, Greater China, Russia, and USA & Canada
• Independent airline passes in South America : these work within specific South American countries (check our comprehensive list and guide here )
• Qantas Explorer pass : a flight pass for exploring Australia and New Zealand

Building your own stopover

A stopover – that is, an extended layover where you can actually leave the airport for 1 or more days or weeks – can be added for cheap or free to any trip, all by yourself. Our how-to guide here explains exactly how to do this.

Essentially, you find a flight fare that includes a layover, but instead of rushing to your connecting flight, you spend days or weeks in the layover destination, visiting 2 destinations for the price of 1. Whether you go round the world or not, it's a great way to squeeze more travel value out of your flight costs.

So, is a round the world ticket worth it?

In short, for most travellers, the answer is probably no. There are a certain set of criteria where it could be more cost-effective, and some travellers may prefer the ease of having all of their tickets booked in one pass anyway. However, the fixed timing, many restrictions, and high price are likely to be unappealing to those who are seeking a thriftier approach, especially when it's so easy to book yourself for less with Kiwi.com and Skyscanner .

The Thrifty Gist

• Round the world tickets are usually pricier than self-booking, but offer peace of mind and a pre-set itinerary
• A dedicated RTW agent such as AirTreks can save you a lot of time, with the added benefit of 24/7 support, having all of your flights in one place, established airlines with shorter routes, and over 32 years of experience in RTW planning. AirTreks tells us they're confident they could beat the other prices in this post, so if you find a cheaper fare yourself, let them know!
• Round the world tickets can be booked with airline alliances or travel agents, while self-booking regular flight tickets can be booked using the multi-destination features of Skyscanner and Kiwi.com
• Self-booking is usually the cheapest approach to a round the world trip, but can also be more tedious
• Reasons to self-book include the abundance of available error/sale fares , budget airlines, the ease with which self-booking can be done, and that stopovers can easily be added to any trip

Our website contains some affiliate links in relevant areas. This means we get a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for recommending a product we personally use, trust, and own.

trying to fin d the cheapest country to start a Oneworld 4 continent ticket July 2022, it used to be South Africa or Jordan, any update links?

Please send complete information for my round the world travel for 2 – up to a year.

Skyteam RTW tickets are not available currently, and haven’t been since the start of COVID. The Star Alliance RTW business ticket I just booked was half the price of using the DIY method.

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Boston Flights

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India Flights

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Japan Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - NRT) $628+
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• Flight Seattle - Tokyo (SEA - NRT) $754+
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• Flight Seattle - Tokyo (SEA - HND) $762+
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Phoenix Flights

• Flight Dallas - Phoenix (DFW - PHX) $47+
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• Flight Portland - Phoenix (PDX - PHX) $81+
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Honolulu Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Honolulu (LAX - HNL) $247+
• Flight San Francisco - Honolulu (SFO - HNL) $259+
• Flight Oakland - Honolulu (OAK - HNL) $277+
• Flight San Jose - Honolulu (SJC - HNL) $277+
• Flight Ontario - Honolulu (ONT - HNL) $281+
• Flight San Diego - Honolulu (SAN - HNL) $331+
• Flight Seattle - Honolulu (SEA - HNL) $335+

Los Angeles Flights

• Flight Oakland - Los Angeles (OAK - LAX) $39+
• Flight San Francisco - Los Angeles (SFO - LAX) $48+
• Flight Dallas - Los Angeles (DFW - LAX) $56+
• Flight Houston - Los Angeles (HOU - LAX) $58+
• Flight Houston - Los Angeles (IAH - LAX) $58+
• Flight San Jose - Los Angeles (SJC - LAX) $68+
• Flight New York - Los Angeles (LGA - LAX) $77+
• Flight Seattle - Los Angeles (SEA - LAX) $79+
• Flight Chicago - Los Angeles (ORD - LAX) $83+

Chicago Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Chicago (ATL - ORD) $47+
• Flight Atlanta - Chicago (ATL - MDW) $48+
• Flight New York - Chicago (LGA - ORD) $59+
• Flight Boston - Chicago (BOS - ORD) $65+
• Flight Dallas - Chicago (DFW - ORD) $66+
• Flight Philadelphia - Chicago (PHL - ORD) $70+
• Flight Houston - Chicago (IAH - ORD) $73+

Denver Flights

• Flight Minneapolis - Denver (MSP - DEN) $38+
• Flight Dallas - Denver (DFW - DEN) $49+
• Flight Houston - Denver (HOU - DEN) $68+
• Flight Ontario - Denver (ONT - DEN) $68+
• Flight Detroit - Denver (DTW - DEN) $78+
• Flight Houston - Denver (IAH - DEN) $78+
• Flight Atlanta - Denver (ATL - DEN) $80+

Washington, D.C. Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Baltimore (ATL - BWI) $39+
• Flight Orlando - Baltimore (MCO - BWI) $39+
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• Flight Dallas - Baltimore (DFW - BWI) $57+
• Flight Houston - Baltimore (IAH - BWI) $57+
• Flight Houston - Baltimore (HOU - BWI) $60+
• Flight Chicago - Baltimore (ORD - BWI) $67+
• Flight Los Angeles - Baltimore (LAX - BWI) $80+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - DCA) $123+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - IAD) $129+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - DCA) $148+
• Flight San Francisco - Baltimore (SFO - BWI) $159+
• Flight Houston - Washington, D.C. (HOU - DCA) $167+
• Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - DCA) $173+
• Flight Chicago - Washington, D.C. (ORD - DCA) $178+
• Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - DCA) $183+
• Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - DCA) $189+
• Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - IAD) $199+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - IAD) $213+
• Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - IAD) $216+
• Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - DCA) $223+
• Flight Houston - Washington, D.C. (HOU - IAD) $268+
• Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - IAD) $275+
• Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - IAD) $294+

Atlanta Flights

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United States Flights

• Flight Newark - Miami (EWR - MIA) $55+
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• Flight New York - Miami (LGA - MIA) $80+
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Hawaii Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Hawaii (LAX - USHI) $213+
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Houston Flights

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Las Vegas Flights

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Miami Flights

• Flight Houston - Miami (HOU - MIA) $37+
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San Francisco Flights

• Flight Ontario - San Francisco (ONT - SFO) $48+
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• Flight Chicago - San Francisco (MDW - SFO) $112+
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• Flight Santa Ana - San Francisco (SNA - SFO) $124+
• Flight Minneapolis - San Francisco (MSP - SFO) $139+
• Flight Seattle - San Francisco (SEA - SFO) $139+
• Flight Houston - San Francisco (HOU - SFO) $160+
• Flight Chicago - San Francisco (ORD - SFO) $164+

Seattle Flights

• Flight Ontario - Seattle (ONT - SEA) $73+
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• Flight Burbank - Seattle (BUR - SEA) $80+
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• Flight Santa Ana - Seattle (SNA - SEA) $90+

Paris Flights

• Flight New Windsor - Paris (SWF - CDG) $288+
• Flight Boston - Paris (BOS - CDG) $292+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Paris (IAD - CDG) $297+
• Flight Baltimore - Paris (BWI - CDG) $318+
• Flight Los Angeles - Paris (LAX - ORY) $323+
• Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - ORY) $406+
• Flight Los Angeles - Paris (LAX - CDG) $411+

Europe Flights

• Flight Newark - Barcelona (EWR - BCN) $333+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LGW) $371+
• Flight New York - Madrid (JFK - MAD) $394+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LCY) $414+
• Flight New York - Athens (JFK - ATH) $417+

Florida Flights

• Flight Newark - Florida (EWR - USFL) $55+
• Flight Baltimore - Florida (BWI - USFL) $61+
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Round the World

Buying a multi-destination ticket has never been simpler.

Do you want to travel the world? Are you excited to discover and experience different countries and cultures? Are you looking for the best value for travelling to the world’s top iconic cities?

Our Star Alliance Book and Fly tool helps you plan and book multi-destination fares online. Certain exceptions apply. Alternatively, contact a member airline or your travel agent.

One Star Alliance ticket. Limitless travel possibilities.

Imagine embarking on a journey that takes you all around the world. Picture all the places you will go, the sights you will see, the people you will meet. Now imagine doing all of that and more, with just a single ticket.

The Star Alliance Round The World ticket offers you a travel experience unlike any other.

Journey across the world and visit up to 15 cities, while enjoying the kind of seamless flexibility and outstanding value for money that only the world’s largest airline network can offer. Where will your Round The World journey take you? Imagine your trip and make it a reality—all in just a few clicks with our Star Alliance Book and Fly tool. Certain exceptions apply. Alternatively, contact a member airline or your travel agent.

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Book and Fly

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How to Map Your Journey

• Start and end in the same country
• Follow one global direction (East or West)
• Cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
• Have a minimum of 2 stops and maximum of 15 stops
• Travel between 10 days to 1 year
• Transits must be less than 24 hours
• Stopovers are more than 24 hours
• Check the terms and conditions for detailed inclusions

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Here's what you need to know to plan a trip around the world

Dec 29, 2021 • 7 min read

Don't start planning your round-the-world trip without reading this guide © Getty Images

In 1924, a team of aviators from the USA successfully completed the first-ever circumnavigation of the globe by airplane, a feat that took 175 days, 76 stops, a cache of 15 Liberty engines, 14 spare pontoons, four aircraft and two sets of new wings. This achievement ushered in an era of international air travel, and nearly a century later, travelers are still creating their own round-the-world itineraries. 

You might not have the same worries as those early aviators, but planning a round-the-world trip has never been a more complex process. As COVID-19 continues to alter world travel , heading out on a multi-country trip might be more complicated than it has been in decades. While it might not be the right time to hit the road, luckily it's never too early to start figuring out the logistics of a trip around the globe. After all, who doesn't have a lot of pent-up wanderlust at the moment? 

When it comes to booking your trip, there are several options for booking your airfare, as well as flexibility on timing, destinations and budget. But don't let that overwhelm you – start here with our handy guide on how to plan that round-the-world trip you’ve always dreamed of.

Where and how to get a round-the-world plane ticket

The most economical way to circumnavigate the globe is to buy a round-the-world (RTW) plane ticket through a single airline alliance. These are confederations of several different airlines that make it simple to maximize the number of places you can travel and pay for it all in one place or with points. There are three primary airline alliances to choose from: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam.  Star Alliance is a coalition of 26 airlines that fly to 1300 airports in 98% of the world’s countries.  OneWorld includes 14 airlines traveling to 1100 destinations in 180 territories.  Skyteam is made up of 19 airlines that serve 1000 destinations in 170 countries.  

Read more:   How to save money when you're traveling

Once you pick an airline alliance, whether because of a loyalty program you’re already a member of or because you like its terms, conditions and destination list, you can purchase a single RTW airline ticket made up of several legs fulfilled by that alliance’s partners. The RTW ticket rules vary between each of the airline alliances, with particulars like Star Alliance’s rule that a RTW ticket can include two to 15 stops. But there are some general principles that apply to most RTW tickets, no matter which airline group you go with. 

You typically must follow one global direction (east or west – no backtracking); you must start and finish in the same country; and you must book all your flights before departure, though you can change them later (though this could incur extra charges). Typically you have one year to get from your starting point to the finish line.

How long do I need for a round-the-world trip?

You could whip around the world in a weekend if you flew non-stop, especially with the advent of new ultra-long-haul flights that can clock in at 20 hours of flight time. However, the minimum duration of most RTW tickets is 10 days – still a breathless romp. To get the most out of your round-the-world ticket, consider stock-piling vacation days, tagging on public holidays or even arranging a sabbatical from work to take off at least two months (but ideally six months to one year). Because most airline alliances give you up to a year to use your ticket, you can maximize your purchase if you plan well.

When should I travel on a round-the-world trip?

The weather will never be ideal in all your stops, so focus on what you want to do most and research the conditions there. In general, city sightseeing can be done year-round (escape extreme heat, cold or rain in museums and cafes), but outdoor adventures are more reliant on – and enjoyable in – the right weather.

Research ahead of time if any must-see destinations or must-do activities will mean facing crowds. For example, if you’re hoping to be in Austria for the famous Salzburg Festival, you’ll want to plan ahead and book your tickets months in advance. If you’re hoping to fit a shorter thru-hike into your round-the-world trip, you’ll want to make sure you’re going in the correct season and starting in the right spot. You won’t get far or have as enjoyable an experience if you’re, say, attempting the Tour du Mont Blanc during the dates of the annual winter marathon or headed northbound on the Pacific Crest Trail in July, missing most of the warmer months. 

Accept youʼll be in some regions at the "wrong" time – though this might offer unexpected benefits. For example, Victoria Falls has a dry season each year , which means a slightly less thunderous cascade, but it does open up rafting opportunities and a chance to swim right up to the lip of the falls in The Devil’s Pool. Going to Venice in the winter might mean grayer skies but fewer crowds. Heading to Kenya and Tanzania in April is likely to mean fewer humans, but not fewer chances to spot wildlife, all while saving money on safari.  Also keep in mind that mom-and-pop locations have their downtime and holiday seasons as well; don't be too surprised if your local bakery in Paris is closed for a holiday week or two in August.

Where should I go on my round-the-world trip?

The classic (and cheapest) RTW tickets flit between a few big cities, for example, London – Bangkok – Singapore – Sydney – LA . If you want to link more offbeat hubs ( Baku – Kinshasa – Paramaribo , anyone?), prices will climb considerably. The cost of the ticket is also based on the total distance covered or the number of countries visited.

Remember, you donʼt have to fly between each point: in Australia you could land in Perth , travel overland and fly out of Cairns . Or fly into Moscow , board the Trans-Siberian railway  and fly onwards from Beijing.  Pick some personal highlights and string the rest of your itinerary around those. For instance, if youʼre a keen hiker, flesh out a Peru ( Inca Trail ) – New Zealand ( Milford Track ) – Nepal ( Everest Base Camp ) itinerary with stops in Yosemite , Menz-Gauassa and the Okavango Delta .

If budgetʼs an issue, spend more time in less expensive countries and plan budget city breaks along the way. You’ll spend more in metros like Paris, Dubai and San Francisco than in Nusa Tenggara , Budapest  and Buffalo . 

Tips, tricks and pitfalls of round-the-world tickets

Talk to an expert before you book a round-the-world ticket: you may have an itinerary in mind, but an experienced RTW flight booker will know which routes work best and cost least. A few tweaks could mean big savings in time and money. Hash out a budget well ahead of time, not only for your RTW ticket, but also for the whole trip. Reach out to friends or travel bloggers who have done a round-the-world trip or are full-time travelers because they can offer tips on how to budget for a trip around the world .

Be flexible: moving your departure date by a few days can save money. Mid-week flights are generally cheaper, as are flights on major holidays such as Christmas Day. Avoid days and times popular with business travelers to escape higher prices and more crowded cabins.

Think about internal travel: it can be cheaper to book internal flights at the same time as booking your RTW ticket, but with the global increase of low-cost airlines, you may find it better (and more flexible) to buy them separately as you go.

Be warned: if you donʼt board one of your booked flights (say, on a whim, you decide to travel overland from Bangkok to Singapore rather than fly it) your airline is likely to cancel all subsequent flights.

You might also like: 10 destinations perfect for solo travel Can visiting lesser-known places offer a better travel experience? 6 things I learned from flying 6 days in a row

This article was first published March 2012 and updated December 2021

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Round The World Tickets – The Essential RTW Guide

A Round the World ticket (RTW ticket) is a special kind of airfare that can take you around the world using different airlines.

RTW tickets are offered by the global airline alliances and also some specific airline partnerships.

This guide provides a detailed overview of Round-the-World airfares and discusses alternatives such as flying around the world using long-haul budget airlines.

Let’s jump straight in to our essential RTW ticket guide.

1. Introduction to Round the World Tickets

2. round the world ticket rules, 3. round the world tickets from airline alliances, 4. oneworld round the world tickets, 5. star alliance round the world tickets, 6. skyteam round the world tickets, 7. other round the world tickets, 8. round the world flights on long-haul budget airlines, 9. rtw ticket agents/brokers, 10. round-the-world ticket tips, 11. round the world tickets guide summary.

What is a Round the World ticket?

A RTW ticket is a special kind of airfare that is literally a circumnavigation of the world using a number of different airlines. With up to 16 possible flight segments, a RTW ticket is valid for 1 year after the first departure and must start and finish in the same country. It must follow either an easterly or westerly global direction of travel.

The following is an example of a Round-the-World ticket route starting in London, UK:

London-Dubai-Delhi-Bangkok-Hong Kong-Singapore-Perth-Sydney-Auckland-Honolulu-Los Angeles-San Francisco-London

or in airport code notation:

LHR-DXB-DEL-BKK-HKG-SIN-PER-SYD-AKL-HNL-LAX-SFO-LHR

This is quite a normal Europe-Asia-Oceania-North America RTW routing with 12 segments. In fact this was the first round-the-world flight itinerary we ever flew on – way back in the mid-1990s and well before the 3 main airline alliances were formed. In those days you got paper issued tickets and up to 24 segment coupons were possible!

How much does a Round-the-World ticket cost?

An economy RTW ticket will generally cost between $2,500-$6,000.

A  premium economy RTW ticket (where available) will roughly cost between $3,500-$7,500.

A business class RTW ticket will cost $5,000-$14,000 .

A first class RTW ticket costs $8,000-$20,000 .

Round the world ticket prices can vary significantly depending on the routing and the departure country. RTW tickets are bookable up to 12 months in advance and are in standard e-ticket format.

The benefit of RTW tickets is that they are a convenient package that allow you to visit many cities. This can include some of the more obscure places which would otherwise be expensive to reach on a single trip.

How about Chile’s Easter Island, Rarotonga, Vladivostok, Reunion Island or Svaalbard, to name but a few?

A well planned 16 segment RTW trip could save you 25-40% compared with buying standard point-to-point tickets.

A Round the World ticket must begin and end in the same country though not necessarily the same city in the case of larger countries. As examples, from the US you could start a RTW route from Boston and end it in Seattle; from Australia you could originate from Sydney and end in Brisbane, Melbourne etc.

As mentioned, you must follow either an easterly or westerly global direction of travel . Did you know that flying times will actually be quicker if travelling in an easterly direction due to the presence of the jet stream – about 6 hours faster globally than going westerly!

For RTW tickets there are 3 main geographic zones (known as Traffic Conferences ) which divide the world:

• TC1: Americas (including Greenland, Caribbean, Hawaiian Islands)
• TC2: EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa plus Seychelles)
• TC3: Asia and Oceania

On a RTW ticket you are permitted to cross each traffic conference once only; in addition, you can only cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once each. However, backtracking within a single TC zone is permitted .

Most RTW ticket tariffs are based on total permitted mileage bands – from 26,000 to 39,000 miles . As a guideline, the circumference of the Earth at the equator is 24,900 miles.

A standard alliance RTW ticket allows 16 flight segments – thus up to 15 stopovers can be made between your origin and final destination city. In airfare terms, a stopover is regarded as staying at a destination 24 hours or more. The minimum amount of stopovers on a RTW ticket is 3.

A segment is actually a flight or flights between 2 cities under a single flight number. So Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta with KLM (KL809) is a single segment despite the stop in Kuala Lumpur. AMS-KUL-CGK is 1 segment but 2 sectors (2 take-offs and landing).

RTW tickets do allow you to include a maximum of 5 surface sectors . For instance one could fly into Bangkok (BKK) with the next flight being out of Singapore (SIN). In this case the trip BKK-SIN is taken independently of the RTW ticket, either overland or on another airline ticket. Note that a surface sector is still regarded as 1 flight segment and BKK-SIN mileage would also be added to the RTW ticket’s permitted total.

Watch out if flying in and out of a large city’s different airports as that would cost you a segment. For example, if you fly into London Gatwick and then leave out of London Heathrow, then Gatwick-Heathrow would be counted as 1 segment to be taken off your maximum allowable 16 segments.

RTW tickets are flexible in the sense that you can freely change the dates of your flights , subject to seat availability. Changing the routing on an alliance RTW would incur an extra charge of $125 plus any adjustment of taxes.

It is possible to have open segments on a RTW ticket which means that you do not yet have a date or confirmed seat for a specific segment. This may be less time consuming than booking everything in advance and then having to change the dates on multiple flight segments.

Children’s Round the World Tickets : Generally an infant under 2 who does not need a seat would pay 10% of the RTW fare; children 2-11 with a seat pay 75% of the RTW fare – although Star Alliance does not offer this discount on business and first class tickets.

Standard RTW tickets are offered from the global airline alliances Oneworld , Star Alliance and Skyteam . When considering a RTW ticket from an alliance take a good look at their route network as there may be some regions which are not as well covered.

Oneworld lacks a comprehensive route network in Africa but is very strong in Europe, North America and Australia.

Star Alliance is relatively weak in South America, the Middle East, Australia, Indonesia and Russia. It has extensive coverage of Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

Skyteam lacks coverage in Australia/New Zealand and South America but has a good network in Europe, North America, Middle East and Asia. It has the best alliance network in China.

Alliance RTW tickets include the following checked baggage allowance. Economy class has 1 piece (20kg), business class 2 pieces (total 30kg) and first class 2 pieces (total 40kg).

Oneworld offers 2 types of round-the-world tickets based on either continents visited or maximum mileage.

The oneworld Explorer (ONE) ticket is based on number of continents visited (3, 4, 5 or 6) with no maximum mileage in either economy class (L), business class (D) or first class (A).

In terms of notation, an economy class oneworld Explorer ticket covering 4 continents would be a “ LONE4″ . A business class 5 continent ticket would be a “ DONE5″ and so on.

Oneworld defines its 6 continents as follows:

• Europe/Middle East including Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Russia west of the Urals, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen
• Africa (excluding countries named above)
• Asia including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia east of the Urals, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (excluding countries named above)
• Australia, New Zealand and the South West Pacific
• North America including the Caribbean, Central America and Panama
• South America

You can fly on 16 segments with a maximum of 4 segments in each continent (exception: 6 in North America). You can only stop twice in your continent of origin.

Travel is permitted on the following oneworld airlines and some limited partner/affiliate airlines: American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), Japan Airlines (JL), LATAM (JJ), Malaysia Airlines (MH), Qantas (QF), Qatar Airways (QR), Royal Jordanian (RJ), S7 Airlines (S7) and SriLankan Airlines (UL).

Note that LATAM is planning to leave Oneworld by October 2020.

The Oneworld Explorer is often the RTW ticket of choice from air travel pros due to the lack of mileage limitations. The ticket is valid from 10 days to 12 months.

Oneworld also sells mileage based RTW tickets called Global Explorer . There are 4 mileage tiers:

• Tier1: up to 26,000 miles (economy class only)
• Tier2: up to 29,000 miles (economy class only)
• Tier3: up to 34,000 miles (economy, business or first class)
• Tier4: up to 39,000 miles (economy class only)

The Global Explorer ticket allows travel on some other selected oneworld partners including Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Fiji Airways, Jetstar, Meridiana and WestJet.

Premium economy flights on Oneworld RTW tickets are available for a surcharge (per sector) on the following airlines where available: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Japan Airlines and Qantas.

Oneworld’s online booking tool is here . Tip: If you have an itinerary already in mind then just enter the airport codes like this: “LON HKG SYD SFO LON” to quickly complete your map route.

Star Alliance offers 3 mileage based Round-The-World tickets – with a maximum of 29,000 miles (RWSTAR1), 34,000 miles (RWSTAR2) and 39,000 miles (RWSTAR3). These are available in economy, premium economy, business class and first class.

Star Alliance also offers a cheaper 26,000 miles RTW special fare for economy (5 stops) and business class (15 stops).

Travel is permitted on the following Star Alliance airlines: Adria Airways (JP), Aegean Airlines (A3), Air Canada (AC), Air China (CA), Air India (AI), Air New Zealand (NZ), ANA (NH), Asiana Airlines (OZ), Austrian Airlines (OS), Avianca (AV), Brussels Airlines (SN), Copa Airlines (CM), Croatia Airlines (OU), Egyptair (MS), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), EVA Air (BR), LOT Polish Airlines (LO), Lufthansa (LH), Scandinavian Airlines (SK), Shenzhen Airlines (ZH), Singapore Airlines (SQ), South African Airways (SA), SWISS (LX), TAP Portugal (TP), Thai (TG), Turkish Airlines (TK) and United Airlines (UA).

You can go here to use the Star Alliance RTW Book and Fly tool which will give price quotations for Star Alliance Round-the-World tickets. For trip ideas see the Star Alliance inspiration page .

Similarly, Skyteam alliance offers 4 mileage based Round-The-World airfares in economy, business and first class. These have maximum mileage of 26,000 miles (RTWSKY 4), 29,000 miles (RTWSKY 3), 33,000 miles (RTWSKY 2) and 38,000 miles (RTWSKY 1).

3-15 stops are allowed on Skyteam RTW tickets with a validity of 10 days to 12 months.

These are available for travel on Skyteam carriers: Aeroflot (SU), Aerolineas Argentinas (AR), Aeromexico (AM), Air France (AF),  Air Europa (UX), Alitalia (AZ), China Airlines (CI), China Eastern (MU), China Southern (CZ), CSA Czech Airlines (OK), Delta (DL), Garuda Indonesia (GA), Kenya Airways (KQ), KLM (KL), Korean Air (KE), MEA (ME), Saudia (SV), Tarom (RO), Vietnam Airlines (VN) and Xiamen Air (MF).

Note Air Europa is likely to leave Skyteam.

Skyteam’s online Round the World ticket planner is here

A number of airlines market their own RTW tickets in conjunction with selected partners. These tend to be cheaper and are simpler products than the main alliance RTW offerings. Prices start from about $1,600 in economy.

The Great Escapade – This is a UK-based RTW airfare from Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Silk Air and Virgin Atlantic . The maximum permitted mileage is 29,000 miles although up to 4,500 miles can be added on at a rate of £130 per 1,500 miles. This fare has unlimited stops and is good for UK-Asia-Oceania-North America-UK. Prices depend on the route and start from about £1,300 in economy class; fares also available in premium economy and business class.

Virgin Australia offers a RTW fare from Australia in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic. You can fly around-the-world on these 2 airlines alone: Virgin Atlantic between Los Angeles-London-Hong Kong and Virgin Australia on Hong Kong-Melbourne-Los Angeles. There are other possible ticket combinations which also include Qantas and Cathay Pacific flights.

The alliance RTW tickets do not cover travel on no frills budget airlines. The likes of Easyjet and Ryanair , Air Asia, Scoot and Southwest all have excellent regional networks.

We are seeing the advent of long-haul budget airlines which can connect the regions offering cut-price travel. This gives the opportunity to construct an independent RTW ticket with a mix of airlines.

In theory it should be possible to put together a budget RTW ticket for little over $1,000 base fare although there are still some limitations on trans-Pacific flights. Also remember the budget airline fares do not include checked luggage – which could be important on a RTW trip where you may be hitting a variety of different climates – and this could add to the base cost significantly.

For those who don’t want to have the RTW ticket restrictions of 16 stops and 12 months, putting your own trip together using independent airlines might be a good option. Especially gap year travellers who are flexible and want to create their itinerary as they go.

Obviously you won’t earn any alliance frequent flyer miles if you go the budget route.

The following airlines offer long-haul budget flights:

LEVEL – This low-cost airline from International Airline Group (IAG) operates trans-Atlantic flights from its Barcelona and Paris Orly base. It flies to Boston, San Francisco and Buenos Aires and one-way prices start at $200.

Scoot – The Singapore-based budget airline has a good network covering south-east Asia and Australia. It also has flights to Athens and Berlin from Singapore. It uses Boeing 787 aircraft. Whilst base fares may be cheap, Scoot is well known for higher ancillary fees.

Air Asia X – The medium-haul arm of budget heavyweight Air Asia flies Kuala Lumpur-Honolulu via Osaka using an Airbus A330.

Jetstar – The Qantas low-cost subsidiary has an extensive network around Australia and Asia. It also flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Honolulu with fares from $225 one-way. It is actually possible to fly with Jetstar on  Oneworld Round the World tickets.

An example RTW budget itinerary would be:

London-Athens (easyjet); Athens-Singapore (Scoot); Singapore-Sydney (Scoot); Sydney-Honolulu (Jetstar); Honolulu-Vancouver (Westjet); Vancouver-London (Air Transat)

Now, we are not necessarily recommending you go out and book a budget RTW. The extra charges will certainly add up and each booking will be separate.

That said, some of the above budget airlines have very reasonable premium seat products. These could be a budget alternative to buying a RTW ticket in premium economy.

For those on a standard alliance RTW ticket, budget airlines can still be useful for taking cheap side trips whilst on your journey.

An interesting tool for putting together an independent RTW or multi-stop air ticket is Indie from US based agent Bootsnall. It can give you an immediate bookable quote for up to 18 stops (no mileage limits) and uses both standard and budget airlines.

Other well known specialist RTW agents are:

• Airtreks (US)
• STA Travel (UK/Australia)
• Trailfinders (UK)
• Roundtheworldflights.com (UK)
• Travel Nation (UK)
• Roundabouttravel (Australia)
• Airfare Geeks – MAVE Travel Group (Australia)

[We have no connection with any of the above agents.]

It is always worth getting multiple quotations for your RTW ticket from specialist agents/brokers as well as the airlines and alliances.

Generally you extract get better value from the alliances if making at least 10 stops. For those needing shorter round-the-world ticket itineraries (say 5-7 stops), an agent may be able to quote a cheaper ticket price than an alliance – particularly in business class.

Cheaper Airfare Countries – As with cheap business class tickets , you will save a significant amount of money (especially in business or first class) by buying and starting a RTW trip from one of the cheaper airfare countries – this includes Sri Lanka, Egypt, Mozambique and South Africa. Although you may sometimes have to find a local travel agent to ticket the fare and also need to factor in a positioning flight to that particular starting city.

For example, let’s take a simple OneWorld Explorer RTW route in business class London-Los Angeles-Sydney-Bangkok-Hong Kong-Doha-Johannesburg-London . The price (US dollars) varies depending on which is our starting city.

At the time of writing, the oneworld Explorer price from Los Angeles is $13,700; from Sydney $11,100; from London $10,800; and from Johannesburg $9,700. Simply by starting from Johannesburg instead of Los Angeles in this case, you could save $4,000.

The reason for the UK and South Africa being cheaper has been the recent relative weakness of the pound sterling and rand.

Prices have be as low as $5,000-$8,000 in some markets although airlines eventually raise prices if too many tickets are being sold to non-residents. Starting in Colombo (Sri Lanka) will price at just under $8,000.

It is also worth calculating the price per segment for your RTW ticket. Anything under $400 per segment for business class is very good value.

With 30 to 80 hours of flying time on a round-the-world ticket – depending on route and segments – maximising your business class experience can make your journey a lot more comfortable. Not only on board with flat seats and premium catering but also on the ground with dedicated check-in, fast-lane security and airport lounge access options .

Taxes and Surcharges – The first airline on the RTW itinerary will normally issue the ticket and calculate the taxes and fuel surcharges. RTW ticket fare calculations can be complex and there may be significant differences in taxes and charges between airlines – these can run anything up to about $2,200. Before booking, experiment by changing the airline of your first flight to see if the surcharges can be reduced.

That said it is worthwhile getting your RTW ticket issued by a major airline (such as British Airways or American Airlines) as making changes will probably be easier.

Airport taxes vary significantly so be flexible with your route and research alternative transport options as well – whether low cost airlines or high speed trains – and consider your surface sector options. With some of the highest air passenger taxes in the world, London UK may be one stopover to avoid.

Frequent Flyer Elite Status/Air Miles – If you are planning to fly on an alliance Round-The-World ticket then you definitely should be a member of one of the airline frequent flyer programs in the alliance.

Now flying on a paid business class RTW ticket from a cheaper country is an excellent way of accelerating yourself to top tier elite status in a frequent flyer program . Do watch the timing of the trip in terms of your membership year – whether you want to credit all the status miles over a single year or perhaps over 2 membership years.

Some flyers will try to max out the number of possible segments (16) and fly on the longest possible flights to get as many frequent flyer miles as possible – particularly on a Oneworld Explorer ticket which has no mileage limitations. You often have the choice of flying under a codeshare number rather than operating airline which can also make a difference to the award miles credited (depending on your airline program rules).

Lastly, never skip a flight on a RTW ticket as you risk your entire itinerary being cancelled. Always inform the airline in advance if you need to change the flight date.

Cabin Limitations – Be aware if buying a first class or premium economy class RTW ticket – many airlines/routes do not have these cabins available. First class seats tend to only be available on major routes.

Star Alliance carriers with a premium economy cabin are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, EVA Air, Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, Singapore Airlines, THAI and Turkish Airlines.

Nested RTW Tickets – If you do a significant amount of travelling it is possible to run more than one RTW ticket at the same time. Flyers with nested RTW tickets generally use the tickets to travel between their homebase and their favoured (cheaper) starting points.

RTW Tickets with Miles/Points – A number of airlines offer the possibility of booking an award round-the-world airline ticket – for a hefty amount of points. Here are a few examples:

Qantas (Oneworld) charges 132,400 (economy), 249,600 (premium economy), 318,000 (business) or 455,000 (first class) for a Round-the-World ticket up to 35,000 miles, 16 segments and 5 stopovers.

A RTW ticket (Star Alliance) using Lufthansa Miles&More points will cost 180,000 (economy), 335,000 (business) and 500,000 (first class) before applicable taxes and surcharges.

ANA offers round-the-world awards with up to 8 segments (with some restrictions) based on various total mileage bands. A trip of 25,001-29,000 miles costs 120,000 miles (economy) and 170,000 (business). Travelling between 44,001-50,000 miles costs 200,000 miles (economy) and 300,000 miles (business).

Skyteam’s Korean Air charges 140,000 SkyPass miles (economy) and 220,000 Skypass miles (business) for a Round-the-World ticket.

You can sometimes extract more value from an award chart by booking 2 or 3 long-haul one-way flights with stopovers and effectively creating your own RTW ticket.

We would probably recommend booking business class rather than economy class on rewards as it is priced at 1.5-2x points (compared with the standard 3.6x average business:economy airfare ratio).

And as we are talking about a significant chunk of miles/points needed for RTW tickets, don’t forget that airlines can always devalue their award charts at any given moment!

• A Round-The-World (RTW) ticket is a special airfare for circumnavigating the globe with up to 16 segments (15 stopovers) and valid for 12 months.
• Travel starts and ends in the same country and follows either an easterly or westerly direction. Up to 5 surface (overland) sectors can be included.
• RTW tickets are offered by the main global alliances – Oneworld, Star Alliance and Skyteam. Simpler RTW tickets can be offered by various airline partnerships.
• Tickets are normally mileage based (26,000-39,000 miles) or continent based and are generally issued by the first airline flown.
• Dates can be changed for free, route changes cost around $125.
• You can only cross the Atlantic and Pacific ocean once but can backtrack within a continent.
• Economy RTW tickets cost $2,500-$6,000 although more basic tickets can be cheaper.
• Premium economy RTW tickets (where available) cost roughly $3,500-$7,500.
• Business RTW tickets cost $5,000-$14,000 – mainly depending on the starting country and the strength/weakness of the local currency. Cheaper countries to start a RTW ticket include Sri Lanka, Egypt, Mozambique and South Africa.
• First class RTW tickets cost $8,000-$20,000 but ensure first class cabins are available on your proposed flight routes.
• Taxes and surcharges can cost up to $2,200 on a RTW ticket.
• RTW tickets can help you get top-tier elite status in a frequent flyer program and a significant amount of air miles/points, especially by maximising your route options.
• Get a quote from a RTW-specialist agent as they can sometimes be cheaper than an alliance fare, particularly for trips with less stops.
• It is possible to fly around-the-world using a mix of budget airlines which would can cost $1,000-$2,000, but watch for extra charges.

Article originally published June 13 2017. Last updated 9 Dec 2019.

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• Flight London - Aberdeen (LHR - ABZ) £65+
• Flight Manchester - Aberdeen (MAN - ABZ) £161+
• Flight Belfast - Aberdeen (BFS - ABZ) £182+
• Flight Birmingham - Aberdeen (BHX - ABZ) £182+
• Flight Kirkwall - Aberdeen (KOI - ABZ) £190+

Frequently asked questions

What do i need to know before booking a flight.

There are various factors to consider when booking a flight including cost, fare classes, baggage policies, the complications of flying long haul, and complying with airport regulations. To make your booking journey smoother KAYAK has developed a comprehensive flight guide including insights on finding affordable flights, packing efficiently, and utilising the best travel tools.

Which month of the year are flight prices lowest?

It’s well established that flights in the low season are generally cheaper than ticket prices during the high season. That means that knowing which month to find the lowest priced plane tickets will depend heavily on seasonality and your destination. While avoiding peak travel times can help you keep costs down, our data shows that the month with the lowest priced plane tickets for domestic flights based on all searches made on KAYAK in the last 12 months was January, while the most expensive was August. If you’re booking an international flight, then January is the cheapest month to fly and July the most expensive.

Can flying international flights with a layover save money on airfare?

For many long-haul international flights, flying direct is not possible and you will have to fly with stopover. Some routes will offer both and you could consider flying with a stopover for a number of reasons. Firstly, breaking up what would otherwise be a long-haul flight, taking a rest and then completing the journey might make the flight more manageable. Secondly, prices can also be lower than direct flights, so while it might take longer for you to reach your destination, you could save money. We’ve looked at prices over the last 12 months for the 100 most popular international destinations for KAYAK users and on average, prices for non-stop flights were cheaper than flights with a layover.

How do I find the best flight deals on KAYAK?

A simple flight search at https://www.kayak.co.uk/flights scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather flight deals from across the web and put them in one place. Then on the search results page you can use various filters to compare options for the same flight and easily choose the best flight deal from all of the deals coming straight from the travel sites to your screen, with no extra fee from KAYAK.

Does KAYAK query more flight providers than competitors?

Yes, KAYAK has access to more data and information than online travel agencies and consistently outperforms the competition in accuracy, globally.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you flights up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. That way, you can see if leaving a day or two earlier will find you a better deal. You can also select the flexible 'weekend' or 'month' search options to widen your search range and find the cheapest price that works for you.

What is the cheapest day of the week to book a flight?

The best day to book your flight depends on a number of factors, but there are general trends that you can follow to increase your chances of cheaper plane tickets. Based on an analysis of KAYAK data for all flights departing from inside United Kingdom over the last 12 months, the cheapest day to fly for domestic flights is Wednesday. For international flights, Tuesday had the cheapest tickets on average.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets - Last minute or in advance?

Last minute flight deals are definitely up for grabs, but when exactly to purchase your plane tickets will depend on where you’re travelling to and from. Based on all data for flight searches made on KAYAK over the last 12 months, prices for domestic flights remained below the average price up to 1 week before departure. For international flights, deals could still be had up to 1 week prior to the departure date, with prices remaining below average. If you’re flexible, KAYAK brings you both advance and last minute one-way and round-trip flight deals.

How does KAYAK find such low flight prices?

KAYAK processes over 2 billion flight queries annually and displays results from hundreds of airlines and third party sites, allowing it to find a variety of flight prices and options. It also displays results from 2M+ properties along with car hire, holiday packages, activities and millions of verified reviews so users can see as many available travel options as possible.

How can Hacker Fares save me money?

Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets on different airlines when it can save you money over a traditional return ticket.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

Search cheap flights with KAYAK. Search for the cheapest airline tickets for all the top airlines around the world and the top international flight routes . KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites to help you find cheap airfare and book a flight that suits you best. Since KAYAK searches many plane ticket sites at once, you can find cheap tickets from cheap airlines and for trains and buses quickly.

KAYAK also helps you find the right hotels for your needs.

Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Travel Better, Cheaper, Longer

The In-Depth Guide to Buying an RTW Ticket

Last Updated: February 7, 2023

When it comes to planning an entire trip around the world , travelers have essentially two options: buy flights as you go or plan your route in advance.

Buying as you go gives you flexibility but risks you losing out if a flight is sold out (or overpriced).

Planning in advance requires more work upfront but makes for a more relaxing trip since all your planning is done before you go.

Both options have a place in your travel toolkit, but today, I want to focus on the latter.

Simply put, round-the-world (RTW) tickets are one of the most convenient ways to travel around the world. They make planning your trip simple and straightforward, allowing you to visit the destinations you want to see without having to worry about booking flights along the way.

You just plan your route, book your RTW ticket, and that’s it! They really take the hassle out of planning a complex trip over multiple continents and are a great choice for novice travelers who might not be comfortable improvising a trip on the fly.

And to top it all off, by purchasing your ticket in one bulk RTW package, you can usually save yourself some money too — which is always a plus in my book!

That said, knowing if a RTW ticket is the best way to get around the world really depends on the kind of trip you are taking. Round the world tickets come with many rules and conditions that might not work for you.

In this post, I’ll go over everything you need to know to help you decide if a RTW ticket is the right choice for you and your next globetrotting adventure.

Table of Contents

How Do Round the World Tickets (RTW) Work?

Star alliance round the world tickets, oneworld round the world tickets, skyteam round the world tickets, how much do round-the-world rickets cost.

• Where Can You Book an Around the World Ticket?

Are RTW Tickets Worth Buying?

• Book Your RTW Ticket

Before we begin, what exactly is an RTW ticket? RTW tickets are actually airline alliance flight passes. An airline alliance is a partnership in which airlines share seats on planes, passengers, and elite status benefits. You buy a ticket from one airline that can be used with them and their partners for one price that lets you travel around the world on that one ticket.

For example, if you book with United Airlines (Star Alliance), your ticket is only good for airlines that United partners within that alliance.

And if you book with American Airlines (which is part of the Oneworld airline alliance), you can only use their partners.

Since American Airlines doesn’t fly everywhere in the world, you’ll need to rely on its partners. Say you need to get from New York City to Nairobi, Kenya (a destination American doesn’t serve). You may technically book your flight with American Airlines for that route, however, you will actually fly one of its airline partners on the sections of the journey that American Airlines doesn’t fly.

It’s important to remember that none of these alliances include the world’s budget airlines such as Ryanair (Europe), Southwest (US), Air Asia (Asia), or Tiger (Asia/Australia). These airlines offer fewer amenities and cheaper fares than the “major” airlines of the world (i.e. large, international carriers that are part of an alliance).

But they also are less comfortable too, which is the trade-off.

RTW tickets can be purchased for seats in economy, business, and first-class. They also come with a number of terms and conditions. Generally speaking, a RTW ticket is valid for one year from the start date and requires you to end in the same country you start in. You don’t need to end in the same city but you need to end in the same country.

Here is a breakdown of the rules for each major airline alliance’s round the world ticket:  

Journeys need to start and end in the same country and go one direction: east or west. You’ll need to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and can only do so once (so no doubling back).

You’ll get up to 16 flights on your ticket and the ability to cover up to 39,000 miles (which is enough to get you to almost every continent). They also provide free rebooking should you need to make any changes once you’re on the road (there are some caveats to that, which you can read int heir terms here .

Using their booking map, you’ll be able to create a 100% unique itinerary based on where you want to go. They also provide several thematic suggestions based on world history, romantic getaways, world wonders, food and wine, and more. Be sure to check them out for ideas and inspiration to get the ball rolling.

You can also have up to 5 “surface” sections in your itinerary. This just means you can travel from one destination to another 5 times outside of your RTW itinerary.

For example, you can fly to London as part of your RTW ticket and then have your onward flight depart from Paris . That will allow you to get to Paris from London via a cheaper flight or train ticket, allowing you to save money.

The distance between “surface” sections is still counted toward your overall 39,000 miles but surface sections can save you money when cheaper budget options are available (or if you’d just prefer to travel overland in certain regions/countries.)

They also have a second RTW ticket option, though it’s not a traditional RTW plan. It’s called Circle Pacific and it lets you travel in a circle around all of the countries that border the Pacific Ocean. So, instead of going around the globe you’ll be looping around the Pacific Ocean, starting and ending in the same destination.

The journey is good for up to 6 months (compared to the 1 year offered by their standard RTW ticket). Some of the most popular countries and regions included in this plan are Australia , New Zealand , Fiji , China , Japan , Southeast Asia , Vanuatu , Hawaii (and the rest of the US), and Canada .  

Oneworld Explorer is their segment-based pass, which focuses on continents. You can choose plans that offer access to 3, 4, and 6 continents. The more continents you plan to visit, the more expensive your ticket.

The plan also includes up to 16 segments (same as Star Alliance), however, there are no overland penalties. And since it’s continent-based, there’s no maximum mileage limit either. One of the benefits of this option is that every segment is counted the same — whether it’s a two-hour flight or a ten-hour flight — so you can really maximize long-haul flights and cover a lot of ground.

Their Global Explorer plan is the mileage-based pass (similar to the Star Alliance option). It has four options for milage: 26,000, 29,000, 34,000, and 39,000. Those (very roughly) translate to 3, 4, 5, and 6 continents.

The third option is Oneworld’s version of the Circle Pacific, which is effectively the same as the Star Alliance option.

Overall, Oneworld has access to slightly fewer destinations than Star Alliance (1,100 compared to 1,250) but all of the major regions are within reach. Unless you’re looking to get far from the tourist trail and visit obscure destinations, Oneworld will be able to get you to wherever you want to go.  

SkyTeam is the third option for RTW tickets. They have a plan similar to Star Alliance’s RTW ticket, however, they offer a rather limited version of it. The carriers and destinations are not nearly as comprehensive as either Star Alliance or Oneworld.

Personally, I wouldn’t even bother looking at their options. Both Star Alliance and Oneworld have much better products.  

On most RTW tickets, you can change the dates and times your ticket at no extra charge — as long as you don’t change the destinations.

For example, if you have a Tokyo to Los Angeles flight that you want to change, you can change the date and time without a fee. However, if you decide to fly from Tokyo to San Francisco instead then you have to pay a fee (usually around $125 USD).  

Where Can You Book a Round the World Ticket?

While you can book RTW tickets directly with the airlines above, you can usually find a better deal by booking through a third party.

Third-party bookers don’t just deal with one alliance — they mix and match from all available airlines (excluding budget airlines) to find the lowest price, which saves you money. Moreover, the overland mileage doesn’t count against your flight because there is no mileage limit.

In short, you’ll want to compare booking direct with booking via a third-party company, though it’s most likely that the third party site will have the better price.  

That depends.

RTW tickets are great for people with a set schedule. If you know your travel dates and destinations and don’t plan on changing your trip very much, an RTW ticket will save you a lot of time and a bit of money.

RTW tickets cost a lot, but if you pick one of the popular travel routes, you will find that you will save money in the end. Buying a ticket on a route like this will most likely cost less than if you were to book all your flights separately. You’ll also get more peace of mind since you have a company to help you with any changes you need to make, not to mention the fact that you’ll have everything planned before you leave home so that, once out in the world, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy yourself.

You should buy a RTW ticket if…

• You’re happy to fly on a set schedule
• You don’t plan to change your dates a lot
• You’re buying tickets for a big group like a family
• You don’t like budget airlines
• You’re visiting a lot of far-flung destinations and taking lots of long-haul flights
• You’re already a frequent flier and are looking to gain perks

If you are any of the above, a round the world ticket will probably save you at least 15-25% off the price of point-to-point tickets.

You should NOT buy a RTW ticket if…

• You want to fly a lot of budget airlines
• You don’t care about points or miles
• You have not set plan
• You’ll be gone longer than a year

If your trip matches any of these points, booking on your own, using budget carriers, and waiting for deals is going to work out a lot cheaper than buying a RTW ticket.

However, there is no definitive answer as to whether or not you should buy one of these tickets. It really depends a lot on your specific trip. A lot of people swear by around-the-world tickets and I believe that for the right trip, these tickets can be PERFECT.

You just have to figure out if your trip is the right trip for this kind of ticket.

To do that, use the interactive booking tools on the booking sites above. They all have websites where you can plan your route and get price estimates. That’s going to be the best way to compare prices and figure out which option is best for you.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Get my best stuff sent straight to you!

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Search Airline Tickets And Flights

Find and book one-way or round-trip flights.

one world Priority Benefits

Welcome to the world of one world Priority benefits. Each one world tier enjoys an array of one world Priority benefits designed to deliver a superior and seamless travel experience, including airport lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, and more.

Your one world Tier Status

When you reach a top tier status with a one world member airline frequent flyer programme, you are automatically designated a one world tier status: Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald. Find out what your one world tier status is by using the drop-down menu below.

Locate Airport Lounges

Access to more than 600 airport lounges worldwide is one of the special privileges and rewards enjoyed by those with Emerald or Sapphire one world tiers. To find lounges, fast track locations, and airport terminal maps, use our search tool below.

The one world Lounge Opens In Amsterdam

Welcome to our first one world branded European airport lounge recently opened in Amsterdam.

Located in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s non-Schengen departure area, this bright new lounge is no more than 10 minutes away from one world member airlines’ departure gates.

This new airport lounge experience provides one world customers a spacious, bright, contemporary setting to unwind and rejuvenate before embarking on their journeys.

Try Our AI Travel Agent To Book Round The World Tickets

When planning a Round The World trip, there are hundreds of possible destinations and millions of possible flight combinations, so where to begin? Our state-of-the-art booking tool combines the power and flexibility of the best human agents with the convenience and efficiency of a self-serve technology solution.

Cheers To 25 Years: The 25 one world Anniversary Cocktail

To mark the 25th anniversary of one world and extend the celebrations to our top-tier customers, we are delighted to introduce our first-ever one world signature cocktail and mocktail. ‘The 25’, which was created in partnership with The Connaught Bar at London's Connaught hotel, will be served in participating First Class lounges across the one world network globally.

one world Names Nathaniel Pieper As CEO

The one world® alliance today named airline industry veteran Nathaniel (Nat) Pieper as its new CEO. Pieper, who is currently senior vice president of fleet, finance and alliances at one world member Alaska Airlines, will join the alliance in his new role on 01 Apri...

one world’s First European Lounge In Dutch Capital Promises To Excite Customers

one world Reaches A 25-Year Milestone, Having Flown Nearly Nine Billion Customers Since 1999

Oman Air to join one world

This chart shows how global air travel is faring

Air travel has picked up this year following COVID-19 disruptions in 2020 and 2021. Image:  Unsplash/Avery Cocozziello

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.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} Pandemic Preparedness and Response is affecting economies, industries and global issues

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Stay up to date:, pandemic preparedness and response.

• Air travel has picked up this year following COVID-19 disruptions in 2020 and 2021.
• However, weekly seat capacity on commercial passenger airlines is still some way below 2019 levels.
• There are also regional differences in how airlines have recovered following the pandemic.

As international travel was brought to an abrupt halt in 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the aviation industry suffered “the worst year in history for air travel demand”. While 2021 was still mired by travel restrictions, turbulence gradually eased in 2022 as more and more passengers returned to the skies.

According to data from OAG , weekly seat capacity on commercial passenger airlines averaged 90.7 million so far this year, up from 61 million during the same period in 2020 but still some way below the 2019 level of 110.9 million. The gap is gradually closing, however, and global capacity exceeded 100 million for the first time since the pandemic hit for a couple of weeks this summer.

There are significant regional differences in how far passenger airlines have recovered from the Covid-19 shock. While capacity remains far below pre-pandemic levels in large parts of Asia, especially in terms of international flights, capacity in North America is very close to 2019 levels.

As other sectors proceed to decarbonize, the aviation sector could account for a much higher share of global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century than its 2%-3% share today.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of aviation fuel by up to 80%, but they currently make up less than 0.1% of total aviation fuel consumption. Enabling a shift from fossil fuels to SAFs will require a significant increase in production, which is a costly investment.

The Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) Coalition is a global initiative driving the transition to sustainable aviation fuels as part of the aviation industry’s ambitious efforts to achieve carbon-neutral flying.

The coalition brings together government leaders, climate experts and CEOs from aviation, energy, finance and other sectors who agree on the urgent need to help the aviation industry reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The coalition aims to advance the commercial scale of viable production of sustainable low-carbon aviation fuels (bio and synthetic) for broad adoption in the industry by 2030. Initiatives include a mechanism for aggregating demand for carbon-neutral flying, a co-investment vehicle and geographically specific value-chain industry blueprints.

Learn more about the Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition's impact and contact us to find out how you can get involved.

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An entire generation of americans has no idea how easy air travel used to be, a new age of air travel is dawning. and it's green, don't miss any update on this topic.

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License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

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The Geography of Transport Systems

The spatial organization of transportation and mobility

World Air Travel and World Air Freight Carried, 1950-2021

Source: Airlines for America. IATA.

Air transportation has experienced a high growth rate since the 1970s, with air freight growing at a rate similar to that of passengers. The growth of air traffic has also been characterized by several setbacks linked with recessions (1973-1975; 1980-1984; 1990-1991; Asian Crisis of 1997; the Financial Crisis of 2008-2009), geopolitical instability (Gulf War of 1991; September 11, 2001) and even the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21). The latter represents the most significant singular event impacting the airline industry, notably the passenger segment, which experienced a drop of 65% in 2020. Despite these setbacks, the rapid rebound of traffic in some markets points to the buoyancy of air traffic demand. Growth resumed its pre-pandemic trajectory and will level off when developing economies like China, India, and Brazil become mature markets.

The main factors behind the growth of passengers and freight traffic, as measured in passengers-km or tons-km, are linked with greater volumes being carried and the average distance over which passengers and freight are being carried. The changing structure of air transport networks is also at play since the development of hubs involves fewer direct connections and, therefore, longer average distances being flown between airport pairs. The development of passenger services tends to induce freight supply since each additional plane usually offers additional cargo capacity, which can be made available on the market. This additional capacity can catalyze new cargo demand.

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The World's 15 Best Airlines To Kick-Start Your 2024 Vacation

Posted: April 21, 2024 | Last updated: April 21, 2024

The winner takes it all

Forget inedible meals, postage stamp-sized economy seats and sky-high fares – the airline industry has stepped up in 2023. From top-tier comfort and cleanliness to the best customer service and family-friendly facilities, we've rounded up a selection of the winners from last year's Skytrax's World Airline Awards 2023. Take a look at the airlines pulling out all the stops to make your flying experience that little bit more special.

World’s Most Improved Airline: Kuwait Airways

World’s Cleanest Airline: ANA All Nippon Airways

ANA (All Nippon Airways) is one of the most consistently high-rated airlines both in Asia and worldwide. It picked up the World’s Cleanest Airline award for the third year in a row in 2023, while also holding onto its 2022 crown for the World’s Best Airport Services. Founded in 1952, Japan’s largest airline – although not the national carrier – is one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 43 international and  61 domestic routes.

The airline focuses on an excellent in-flight experience infused with hints of Japanese culture. It provides passengers with amazing amenities, food, cleanliness and friendly cabin crew. After two years of tough COVID-19 restrictions, Japan resumed visa-free entry and independent travel in October 2022 – and it looks like ANA is rising to the occasion.

World’s Best Airline Cabin Crew: Garuda Indonesia

World’s Best Economy Class: Japan Airlines

World’s Best Premium Economy Class: EVA Air

World's Best Regional Airline: Bangkok Airways

As well as bagging the Best Regional Airline in Asia award, Bangkok Airways took home first place for the World’s Best Regional Airline. It might not come as a surprise: it's the seventh consecutive year the airline has won both awards. It serves 11 Thai hotspots and a growing number of international destinations, including Cambodia, Singapore, the Maldives, Myanmar, Hong Kong and Laos. 

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Bangkok Airways comprises a 30-strong fleet, with each aircraft decorated in their own liveries representing the destinations they fly to. The company's latest generation aircraft, the ATR72-600, includes a full-glass cockpit and larger overhead bins. 

Best Regional Airline in North America: Alaska Airlines

World’s Best Low-Cost Airline: AirAsia

This reliable airline has been awarded the World's Best Low-Cost Airline since 2010 and is well-recognised by other industry heavyweights for its budget offerings. The Premium Flatbed seat on its Airbus A330 is considered among the world’s best-value premium cabins, being fully reclinable with adjustable head and foot rests, plus comfy bedding and a privacy screen. Complimentary meals, priority boarding and baggage collection, and access to hours of inflight entertainment are included in the cost too.

The Malaysia-based airline operates flights across its home continent and beyond, with connections to Australia, the US, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Japan and more. Sign up for the rewards scheme and you can earn AirAsia points on whatever fare you choose, which can then be redeemed against hotels, tours, car hire and even future flights.

World's Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline: Scoot

Scoot, owned by the Singapore Airlines Group, has been awarded first place for budget travellers seeking long-haul destinations for two consecutive years now. The airline's economy class offers three fares: Fly, FlyBag and FlyBagEat. The cheapest fare is Fly, allowing carry-on of up to 10kg (22 pounds) per passenger; FlyBag includes 20kg (44-pound) checked baggage; and FlyBagEat adds on a hot meal.

But there's another reason everyone's talking about Scoot. In September 2022, it launched its first Pokémon-themed plane (pictured). The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (or "Pikachu Jet"), with its colourful livery and Japanese-inspired menu, serves selected journeys between Singapore, Taipei, Nanjing, Tokyo and Seoul throughout 2023.

World’s Most Family Friendly Airline: Air Canada

Skytrax’s Most Family Friendly Airline Award is a new category for 2023, factoring in how well an airline accommodates families being seated together, how helpful staff are, what dedicated family check-in, baggage and boarding procedures are in place, and the quality of children’s meals, entertainment and amenities. As well as making the lives of guardians and children that little bit easier while in the air, Air Canada also runs the Aeroplan Family Sharing scheme, where up to eight family members can share rewards points.

Best Airline in South America: LATAM

The largest airline in Latin America, LATAM won big across Skytrax's South America categories in 2023, taking gold for both Best Airline and Best Airline Staff Service on the continent. The airline serves Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

So what makes LATAM so great? The airline is addressing its sustainability credentials and has pledged to eliminate all single-use plastics onboard its services by the end of this year. It also aims to be zero-waste by 2027 and carbon neutral by 2050. Plus, its range of LATAM Airlines credit cards could see you earn up to 40,000 miles to redeem on flights.

Best Airline in Africa: Ethiopian Airlines

Not only did Ethiopian Airlines rank in the top 40% of Skytrax's list of the best 100 airlines in the world in 2023, but it was also crowned the Best Airline in Africa once again after winning the category for five previous years. The flag carrier of Ethiopia was founded in 1945 and today serves 19 domestic and 114 international destinations. The airline has the youngest and newest fleet across the entire continent, consisting of Boeing's Dreamliners and Triple Sevens as well as Airbus A350s.

There’s a range of cabin types – economy includes complimentary drinks and its luxury Cloud Nine service provides a curated business-class experience. Guests of Cloud Nine can enjoy exclusive lounge access, additional baggage allowance and an even comfier flight with more room to stretch out.

Best Airline in Europe: Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines was founded in 1933 with just five aircraft. Today, it flies to 269 destinations around the world, best summed up by its tag line: “We fly to more countries than any other airline in the world". The national carrier won the sought-after Best Airline in Europe award, as well as the same award for services in Southern Europe.

The airline offers an incredible culinary service – winning the top award for best catering in both business and economy class in 2023 – and its highly regarded lounge welcomes travellers in Istanbul. It’s regularly commended for being the best long-haul travel experience in Europe, and also serves Africa, North America and Asia.

Best Airline in North America: Delta Air Lines

According to Skytrax, Delta Air Lines is the top airline in North America for the second consecutive year. The accolades don’t stop there – the US-owned airline dominated the major North America categories, taking Best Airline Staff Service, Best Business Class, Best Premium Economy Class and Best Economy Class. It’s one of the world’s oldest airlines and is constantly expanding its network, adding London Gatwick to its roster in 2023 for the first time in 15 years.

But what makes it worth flying with? From check-in to landing there’s a seamless system; its Airport Curbside service (at most US airports) allows you to check in your baggage as soon as you’ve exited your vehicle at passenger drop-off. Its cabins range from Basic Economy to Delta One, where you can enjoy your own flat-bed seat, luxury skincare products and chef-curated meals.

World’s Best Airline Overall: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines knocked 2022’s Airline of the Year Qatar Airways (a seven-time champion) off the top spot to second place this year, though the Middle Eastern carrier still cleaned up in the majority of the business-class categories. The Singapore Airlines Group (which includes the award-winning budget subsidiary airline, Scoot) ferried nearly 21 million passengers across the world last year and achieved its highest-ever monthly passenger load factor in December 2022. Click here to see the full results of the World Airline Awards 2023.

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Automatic Refunds and No More Hidden Fees: D.O.T. Sets New Rules for Airlines

The Transportation Department issued new requirements on refunds when flights are canceled or delayed and on revealing “junk” fees before booking. Here’s what passengers can expect.

By Christine Chung

The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced new rules taking aim at two of the most difficult and annoying issues in air travel: obtaining refunds and encountering surprise fees late in the booking process.

“Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing and should get their money back when an airline owes them — without having to ask,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement, adding that the changes would not only save passengers “time and money,” but also prevent headaches.

The department’s new rules, Mr. Buttigieg said, will hold airlines to clear and consistent standards when they cancel, delay or substantially change flights, and require automatic refunds to be issued within weeks. They will also require them to reveal all fees before a ticket is purchased.

Airlines for America , a trade group representing the country’s largest air carriers, said in a statement that its airlines “abide by and frequently exceed” D.O.T. consumer protection regulations.

Passenger advocates welcomed the new steps.

Tomasz Pawliszyn, the chief executive of AirHelp, a Berlin-based company that assists passengers with airline claims, called it a “massive step forward and huge improvement in consumer rights and protection” that brings the United States closer to global standards in passenger rights.

Here’s what we know about the D.O.T.’s new rules, which will begin to go into effect in October.

There’s now one definition for a “significant” delay.

Until now, airlines have been allowed to set their own definition for a “significant” delay and compensation has varied by carrier . Now, according to the D.O.T., there will be one standard: when departure or arrival is delayed by three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights.

Passengers will get prompt refunds for cancellations or significant changes for flights and delayed bags, for any reason.

When things go wrong, getting compensation from an airline has often required establishing a cumbersome paper trail or spending untold hours on the phone. Under the new rules, refunds will be automatic, without passengers having to request them. Refunds will be made in full, excepting the value of any transportation already used. Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in the original form of payment, whether by cash, credit card or airline miles. Refunds are due within seven days for credit card purchases and within 20 days for other payments.

Passengers with other flight disruptions, such as being downgraded to a lower service class, are also entitled to refunds.

The list of significant changes for which passengers can get their money back also includes: departure or arrival from an airport different from the one booked; connections at different airports or flights on planes that are less accessible to a person with a disability; an increase in the number of scheduled connections. Also, passengers who pay for services like Wi-Fi or seat selection that are then unavailable will be refunded any fees.

Airlines must give travel vouchers or credits to ticketed passengers unable to fly because of government restrictions or a doctor’s orders.

The vouchers or credits will be transferable and can be used for at least five years after the date they were issued.

Fees for checked baggage and modifying a reservation must be disclosed upfront.

Airlines and ticket agents are now required to display any extra fees for things like checking bags or seat selection clearly and individually before a ticket purchase. They will also need to outline the airline’s policies on baggage, cancellations and changing flights before a customer purchases a ticket.

The rules, which apply to all flights on domestic airlines and flights to and from the United States operated by foreign airlines, have varying start dates.

For example, automatic refunds must be instituted by the airlines within six months. But carriers have a year before they’re required to issue travel vouchers and credits for passengers advised by a medical professional not to fly.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel. More about Christine Chung

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Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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• Moscow Tours

Our 20 Best Moscow Tours of 2022

Join us on an unforgettable tour to Moscow, the capital of Russia. Imagine visiting Red Square, St. Basil’s the Kremlin and more. Moscow is one of Europe’s most vibrant cities and one of Russia’s most historical. All of our tours to Moscow are fully customizable and can be adjusted to fit any budget. Our most popular tours are listed below. Please click on the tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our Moscow tours using the form at the side of the page. You can also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists to learn more.

Classic Moscow

This is our most popular Moscow tour that includes all the most prominent sights. You will become acquainted with ancient Russia in the Kremlin, admire Russian art in the Tretyakov Gallery, listen to street musicians as you stroll along the Old Arbat street, and learn about Soviet times on the Moscow Metro tour.

Accommodation

PRIVATE TOUR

A Week in Moscow

This tour is a perfect choice for those who wish to get to know Moscow in depth. One of the highlights of this package is the KGB history tour which gives an interesting perspective on the Cold War. You will also have time for exploring the city on your own or doing extra sightseeing.

Weekend in Moscow

This tour is a great way to get acquainted with the capital of Russia if you are short of time. You will see all the main attractions of the city, the most important of which is the Kremlin - the heart of Russia. The tour starts on Friday and can be combined with a business trip.

Group Tour Moscow Break by Intourist

Russia's capital has so much to offer, from the Kremlin and the Metro to the Old Arbat street and the Tretyakov Gallery. Besides these sites, you will also visit a fascinating country estate which today is quite off the beaten path, Gorky Estate, where the Soviet leader Lenin spent the last months of his life.

Kolomenskoye Tour with transport

The history of Kolomenskoye stretches back for centuries. In 1380, Dmitri Donskoi’s army passed through Kolomenskoye on their way to the Kulikovo battlefield, and it was...

Tours by car

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Armory Tour

The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure, at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city’s former military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury...

Walking tours

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals, Armory, Diamond Fund Tour

Old Arbat walking tour

You will be told of the street’s interesting history and view the street’s artisan culture. You will also have the opportunity to view and purchase souvenirs from the...

Tour to Sergiev Posad with transport

Considered by some to be the Russian Vatican, Sergiev Posad is the temporary residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Trinity St. Sergius Monastery (Lavra)...

Tour to Kuskovo with transport

The Kuskovo Estate often called the Moscow Versailles due to its perfectly preserved French park, is an example of an 18th century, luxurious Moscow summer residence. Its history...

Tour to Tsaritsyno with transport

The Tsaritsyno Estate is located in the southern part of Moscow. The estate was constructed for Catherine the Great by the Russian architects Bazhenov and Kazakov in a romantic...

Moscow Metro and Old Arbat Tour

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union’s achievements for both the Russians...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion and vodka tasting)

Vodka is an important component of Russian life, an element of national identity and everyday culture. We invite you to visit the Vodka Museum and feel the atmosphere of long-gone...

Mikhail Bulgakov Apartment Museum

This apartment museum located close to Patriarch Ponds became the prototype of the "bad apartment" described in the novel "The Master and Margarita." Currently the museum's...

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Diamond Fund Tour

The State Museum of Lev Tolstoy Tour

Take this opportunity to learn more about the Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. During the visit to the museum you will see part of a vast collection of exhibits connected to Tolstoy...

Novodevichy Convent Tour with transport

Tour of the Novodevichy Monastery. Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince VasiliIoanovich, the original convent was enclosed by fortified walls and contained 12 towers. The structure...

City Tour with Visit to St. Basils & Red Sq. with transport

Panoramic City Tour. This Moscow tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will...

City Tour of Moscow

Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous...

Moscow Metro walking tour

Kremlin, Red Square and Cathedrals Tour

KGB Tour with transport

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to...

Soviet and Post-Soviet Moscow Tour

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened...

Tretyakov State Gallery Tour

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and...

Jewish Heritage of Moscow Tour

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion only)

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

Tours to Moscow

Our Moscow tours are land only meaning that you arrange your own air travel to Russia and our expert staff meets you at the airport and handles everything else from there. Our online Airline Ticket booking system offers some of the most competitive rates to Russia available on the web so if you need tickets, please visit our Russian air ticket center . Rest assured that you will be taken great care of on one of our Moscow tours. Express to Russia has a fully staffed office in Moscow that will help to make your visit fun, informative and unforgettable. Please remember that of all these tours are private and can be adjusted to your taste. You can add, replace or skip some sights; you can add more days to the package or cut the tour short. Our specialists will be glad to help you create the tour of your dreams!

Moscow, a City Like No Other

Moscow is Russia’s largest city with a population of between 12 and 13 million. It is also Europe’s largest city and when you visit Moscow, you can feel it. The layout and architecture of the city is eclectic, ranging from crooked, ancient streets and alleyways to wide, bustling boulevards, from medieval churches to Stalin skyscrapers and to modern, glass buildings towering over everything and of course in the center of it all is the Kremlin and the magnificent Red Square. Moscow is also home to a fantastic, efficient and very beautiful metro system – each station having its own special design. In fact, Express to Russia’s Moscow metro tours and excursions are some of our most popular attractions that we offer. On our Moscow tours, you will see this and more.

Moscow Tours centering on Russian History

Moscow has a long and interesting history and has been the capital of Russia in many of its different iterations – capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and of course the Soviet Union (who could ever forget the Soviet Union?). Moscow, was founded in the 12th century by Prince Yuri Dolgaruki (Yuri of the long arms – he really did have long arms!). From that time on, it was home to the Russian Tsars until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1703. The city has survived invasions and sieges from the Mongols, the Tartars, the Poles, Lithuanians and Napoleon but has always persevered. Our Moscow tours will enlighten you on this great history and give you insights into Muscovites and their unique culture. Our Moscow tours show you what the city is like today but also brings to life the past. Moscow never seems to sleep and is bursting with energy. A Moscow tour with Express to Russia is truly the best way of getting to know Russia’s largest and most vibrant city.

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

What is the best time to visit moscow.

Any time of year is fine depending on what you plan to do. Summertime is pleasantly warm, ideal for exploring the city and its vibrant atmosphere, but Moscow will be much busier and accommodation is more expensive. Winter can be quite cold but beautiful nonetheless, and this is unproblematic if you intend to spend most of your trip in museums and galleries. There are also various festivals and events organised throughout the year. For more information about the best time to visit, read our guide

How many days are enough in Moscow?

If you plan your itinerary strategically and aren’t averse to a packed schedule, you can cover Moscow’s main sights over a long weekend. Most popular attractions are in the city centre, and the Moscow Metro allows you to cover much ground in a small amount of time. Ensure that your accommodation is fairly central and book tickets in advance, so that you can make the most of your days. For an informative and well-organised day out, check out our Moscow day tours with options to suit all interests.

Do they speak English in Moscow?

As Russia’s capital city, tourists are well accommodated in Moscow. There should be English-speaking staff in restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and attractions in tourist hotspots, and there are also English-speaking tourist police. Transport services have English translations on their maps and English announcements via intercom; alternatively, order taxis from the Yandex Taxi app (Russian Uber), though it’s unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English. If you get stuck and cannot communicate, it’s fine to use Google Translate.

Is it safe to travel to Moscow?

It is no less safe to travel to Moscow than to any European city if you exercise common sense and look after your belongings. As with every city some regions can be more unsavoury than others, but no tourist attractions are located there. The traffic in Moscow is notorious, so exercise caution when crossing roads. Do not take unlicensed taxis; book in advance or take public transport, which is widespread and perfectly safe. If you encounter any problems, look for the special tourist police who can help you. For more information, read our guide about staying safe in Russia .

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The world's first doggy jet service will cost you $6K for a one-way ticket

Dogs will soon be able to experience their own “ fur st” class flight with the launch of the world’s first jet charter company specifically designed for man’s best friend. 

BARK, the dog toy company that coordinates the popular treat subscription BarkBox, is partnering with a jet charter service to take away the challenges of long-distance traveling with dogs, according to a press release. BARK Air, as the company calls it, offers the “white glove experience typical of a human’s first-class experience and redirected all that pampering to pooches.”

Taking dogs on airplanes is, typically, a stressful endeavor with different airlines having different policies for pet travel. For example, American Airlines allows small dogs in a carrier to be placed under the seat in front, but larger dogs are put in the cargo space, which has been found to be stressful for the pet. For United Airlines , pets can fly in the cabin if there’s enough space, but they must fit in a carrier under the seat in front.

“We are excited to take the insights we’ve learned over years to create an experience that is truly dog-first, which is drastically different from just accepting dogs – from the ground to the skies,” said Matt Meeker, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at BARK, in a statement. 

First-time Fido's taking to the sky? Here are tips from my flight with a dog

Learn more: Best travel insurance

However, you’ll need to pay a hefty fee for the dog-friendly flight. For now, a ticket for just one dog and one human will run you at least $6,000 one way. 

The first BARK Air flights will take off on May 23, and so far, there are only two flight routes available, both from New York’s Westchester County Airport. From New York to London’s Stansted Airport, it’ll cost $8,000 one-way and to Los Angeles’s Van Nuys Airport will cost $6,000 one-way. Tickets are available for purchase on April 11.

Not only does BARK Air allow dogs, it also focuses on the furry friends by treating them like VIPs, the press release said. BARK Air passengers can skip TSA checkpoints and screenings and instead experience a simple check-in process where they can meet the other dogs on the flight and the humans are served a meal cooked by on-site chefs. 

When boarding, a BARK Air concierge is on-hand to ensure the dogs are socializing and adjusting to the environment well. 

Each flight will undergo “Dogs Fly First” flight prep that includes “calming pheromones, music, and colors that pups prefer.” To make the flying experience easier and more enjoyable, dogs have access to various aids such as calming treats, noise-canceling ear muffs, and calming jackets.

During takeoff and descent, dogs are given a beverage of their choice to help their ears adjust to cabin pressurization. Of course, there will be plenty of treats on the flight.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .

Taiwan says new Chinese air routes threaten Taiwanese islands' flight safety

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• China opens new air routes running close to Taiwanese islands
• Taiwan decries move as flight safety risk
• Routes are near Taiwan-controlled Kinmen and Matsu islands
• China says flight paths to improve flight operations

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A former senior official in the Armenian administration of Nagorno-Karabakh, detained since last September in Azerbaijan, has been persuaded to end a hunger strike, his family said on Thursday.

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Haiti transitional government takes power as gangs hold capital 'hostage'

Haiti's transition council took power in a ceremony on Thursday, formalizing the resignation of former Prime Minster Ariel Henry as the Caribbean country seeks to establish security after years of gang violence wreaking chaos and misery.

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Airlines will now be required to give automatic cash refunds for canceled and delayed flights

FILE - Passenger drop off their baggage at United Airlines in C Terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Houston. The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday, April 24, 2024, to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

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The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.

The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays.

Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. The administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.

Airlines still will be allowed to offer another flight or a travel credit instead, but consumers can reject the offer.

The rule will also apply to refunds of checked-bag fees if the bag isn’t delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights or 15 to 30 hours for international flights. And it will apply to fees for things such as seat selection or an internet connection if the airline fails to provide the service.

Complaints about refunds skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as airlines canceled flights and, even when they didn’t, many people didn’t feel safe sharing a plane cabin with other passengers.

Airlines for America, a trade group for large U.S. carriers, noted that refund complaints to the Transportation Department have fallen sharply since mid-2020. A spokesperson for the group said airlines “offer a range of options — including fully refundable fares — to increase accessibility to air travel and to help customers make ticket selections that best fit their needs.”

The group said the 11 largest U.S. airlines issued $43 billion in customer refunds from 2020 through 2023.

The Transportation Department issued a separate rule requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose upfront what they charge for checked and carry-on bags and canceling or changing a reservation. On airline websites, the fees must be shown the first time customers see a price and schedule.

The rule will also oblige airlines to tell passengers they have a guaranteed seat they are not required to pay extra for, although it does not bar airlines from charging people to choose specific seats. Many airlines now charge extra for certain spots, including exit-row seats and those near the front of the cabin.

The agency said the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.

Airlines for America said its members “offer transparency and vast choice to consumers” from their first search.

The new rules will take effect over the next two years. They are part of a broad administration attack on what President Joe Biden calls “junk fees.” Last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that his department will let state officials in 15 states help enforce federal airline consumer protection laws .