Circle the Pacific

Yet another popular trip that is quite popular here at Circle The Planet are airfares combining The South Pacific region along with Asia. Circle The Planet, can discount all rates offered directly from the airlines. Call or e-mail for a quote

The Circle Pacific fare is a unique program permitting travel around the Pacific Rim in one general direction, usually flying a combination of two airlines for one all inclusive price. The fares are very similar to Around the World fares but travel is limited to destinations in the South Pacific and Asia although one pass does allow travel to limited destinations in South America. Circle Pacific fares are offered by many different vendors and each one has a unique set of rules.

Most Circle Pacific fares are only available to travelers starting their journey in one of the nations bordering the Pacific Ocean. New circle fares that allow travel from other regions to the pacific are covered in the Circle Region page of this site.

Recently several Asian carriers and one South Pacific airline have instituted Air Passes to this region which work much the same as Circle Pacific fares. They allow extensive travel in the region, are incredible bargains, and are discussed in detail in the Circle Pacific Airpass section of this page

One World Circle Pacific Fare

One World Circle Pacific: This is the only Circle Pacific Fare we know of that allows travel to South America. This fare is mileage based and has three different mileage levels starting at 22,000 miles. A 26,000 and 29,000 mile fare are also available. if you wish to incorporate South America in the journey you must use 29,000 mile level however.

Travel must be in a circular direction with no backtracking.  Travel west of Thailand is not permitted. You may use all the airlines of the One World alliance but, Cathay Pacific, American, Lan Chile, and Qantas are the only Carriers with service in the region. A link to the rules is supplied.  One World Circle Pacific fare

Sample Itinerary: (Includes South American Option) Los Angeles – Santiago, Chile – Easter Island – Tahiti – Sydney – Singapore – Hong Kong – Los Angeles

Star Alliance Circle Pacific Fare

Star Alliance Circle Pacific fare  is a new program of the very large Star Alliance group that allows for extensive travel in the Pacific rim.

The main features of the Airfare include:

• A circular trip around the Pacific Ocean, limited by a maximum mileage of 22,000 or 26,000 miles.
• Airfare is available in First Class, Business Class and Economy Class.
• Travel must originate and terminate in the same country, which must to be one of the following: Australia, Brunei, Canada or USA, China, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Philippines, Western Samoa, Singapore, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Vietnam.
• For travel to/from/via the USA or Canada, only the following cities may be included in your itinerary: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Vancouver.
• The Airfare is valid on most flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines Air Canada, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai, United Airlines and Varig serving the countries mentioned above. bullet    The ticket has to be purchased 7 days in advance but reservations for many sectors of the journey may be changed during the itinerary (subject to certain restrictions).
• As long as the routing is not changed, most reservations may even be changed at any time (subject to certain restrictions

United Airlines

United Airlines: offers several circle Pacific fares in conjunction with a number of other airlines in addition to its' participation in the Star alliance fare listed above

United & Malaysia Air

This is a Circle Pacific one direction fare utilizing the combined route network of United and Malaysia airlines.  Four stops are included in base price and additional stops may be purchased for added fees.

Sample Itinerary:  Los Angeles – Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur – Sydney – Auckland – Los Angeles

Economy: $2,928     Business: $5,599       First $9,302

United  &  Qantas

Another Circle Pacific one direction fare utilizing the combined route network of United and Qantas airlines.  Four stops are included in base price and additional stops may be purchased for additional fees.

Sample Itinerary:  Los Angeles – Tokyo- Hong Kong – Cairns – Sydney – Los Angeles 

Economy: $3,727    Business: $6,136   First: $10,334

United  & Cathay Pacific

One more Circle Pacific one direction fare utilizing the combined route network of United and Cathay Pacific airlines.  Four stops are included in base price and additional stops may be purchased

Sample Itinerary:  Los Angeles - Tokyo – Hong Kong – Sydney – Auckland – Los Angeles

Economy: $3,727       Business: $6,136    First: $10,334

Singapore & Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand – Singapore:  This is a mileage based fare with a maximum of 22,000 miles. A significant number of miles for this region and you are  permitted to purchase additional miles in 1,500 mile increments if you exceed the original base mile allotment  Some great itineraries around the Pacific Ocean are possible.

Sample 22,000 Itinerary:  Los Angeles – Tahiti - Cook Islands – Auckland – Christchurch – Sydney – Singapore – Hong Kong – Taipei – Tokyo – Los Angeles

Economy: $2,600   Business: $4,325    First Class: $5,900

Circle Pacific Airpass Programs

The following Air Pass Programs are an alternative to Circle Pacific fares.  A few offer unlimited travel in the region for a specific period of time.  The time limit depends on the program but they do offer a great value as compared to other programs. For more information on Asia or South Pacific Air Pass programs use the Air Pass Information tab at the top of this page

SkyTeam Asia Air Pass

SkyTeam Asia AirPass: (PDF Doc.) This is the newest airpass program we know of and the most versatile in that it allows travel to 21 countries in both Asia and the South Pacific. Many of the destinations serviced by this group are unique to this air pass only.  To view more rules please use this link.

Cathay Pacific All Asia Pass

The Cathay Pacific All Asia Air Pass is one of the most distinguished bargains in the Airline Industry.  For $1,099 travel to eighteen different destinations in Asia and this pass includes a round trip ticket from either New York or Los Angeles to Hong Kong.  The journey must be completed within 21 days but extensions up to 90 days are available for additional fees.

The destinations you may visit for the basic price are Bangkok, Cebu, Denpasar (Bali), Fukuoka, Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Nagoya, Osaka, Penang, Sapporo, Seoul, Singapore, Surabaya, Taipei, Tokyo and the home of Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.

If these are not enough, you may visit even more cities, including Bombay, Colombo, Shanghai, Hanoi,  Ho Chi Minh City and assorted destinations in Australia, but additional fees are required to visit these cities.

There are many restrictions involved with this fare however, and you should review the above link to make yourself aware.  Cathay Pacific is one of the best regarded airlines in the world.

Circle The Planet is also a leading seller of the World Traveler around the world ticket. We offer this around the world ticket much cheaper than the airlines directly  

World Traveler

This is a little known Around the World program, recently expanded to include 18 airlines. One caution some of the airlines in this program have recently joined major alliances and how long this fare will exist is a mystery. This group services some unique destinations with four economical mileage based fares.  

This program permits travel on the route networks of these primary airlines: Air Calin, Air Pacific, Air Tahiti Nui,  Alaska, Air Europa, Air Vanuatu, Continental, Copa, Emirates, Horizon , Jet Air, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch, Malaysia Airlines, Malev Hungarian, Northwest , Polynesian, South African, and Sri Lankan Air.  

Fare Information 

The fares listed below are in U.S. dollars for departures originating from the United States, and require that the entire itinerary including transit points be completed using less than the miles indicated below.  No itinerary may exceed 40,000 miles. You must cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the itinerary requires a minimum of three stops and a maximum of ten stopovers. You may exceed the maximum stops by paying 100 dollars for each additional stop.  This fare requires a minimum travel time of ten days and an maximum to complete the journey of one year. The fare has some significant restrictions for travel in Europe and they are discussed in the European section.

The prices listed above do not reflect any additional taxes and are subject to change without notice.    

Routing Information

Below you will find a review of the various routing options as well as some pros and cons of the program to consider.  We hope this helps in your decision making process.

North  America 

Northwest services most major cities throughout the United States; Alaska and Horizon offer an extensive array of destinations to Western States, and Continental Airlines with its multiple North American hubs, services destinations throughout the continent.  

This is the only airline grouping we know of providing direct service between North America and all continents (Antarctica excluded).  South America is accessible via Continental or Copa airlines; Africa via South African Airlines, Europe via KLM, Northwest, and Continental, Asia by Malaysia Airlines, Continental, and Northwest.  The South Pacific can be reached by Continental, Air Tahiti Nui and Air Pacific, it is even possible to access the Middle East directly with Malaysia Airlines and Emirates.

Central and South America

Utilizing the extensive route network of the Panama based Copa Airlines this assembly services the most destinations of any  major group to Central America. When you combine the services offered by Alaska and Horizon Airlines to Mexico with the extensive number of routes Continental offers between North and Central America, very few destinations are inaccessible.  

There is no member of this alliance that is based in South America but a few outstanding itineraries are possible.  Copa offers routes, primarily in northern South America, and Continental is expanding it's service to the region. KLM has limited routings on the continent and provides connections to Europe.  This is the only major alliance that provides direct service between South America and Africa.  

South Africa Airlines has service from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg, and Malaysia Airlines has service to Cape Town from Buenos Aires.

Europe

Emirates, Malaysia, Kenya, South Africa, Continental, and Northwest all provide service to the region. Although KLM and its partners, have an extensive route network in Europe the number of stops is limited by the Around the World fare structure on this continent. 

In Europe you are limited to visiting only two cites. Amsterdam does not count as a stop so if you wish to include Amsterdam three cities are allowed.  One additional stop may be purchased for a reasonable surcharge.

Asia 

In Asia you may use Malaysia Airlines as the regional carrier.  Malaysia offers a major hub in Kuala Lumpur and services the largest number of destinations of any Asian Airline. Northwest also has a hub in Tokyo and can service many destinations on the continent, including direct service to China from the United States. Sri Lankan Airlines has recently joined this group and its route network is now available.

Jet Airways of India provides service to the vast majority of destinations on the Indian Sub Continent. KLM and Emirates offer service to Asia from Europe and the Middle East. Air Pacific and Air Tahiti offer routings to the South Pacific and South African provides direct service to African destinations.

Africa

Using South African Airlines, Kenya, Emirates, Malaysia and KLM, this group is by far the best Around the World fare for extensive travel on the African continent.  With three African based hubs in Nairobi, Cape Town and Johannesburg, along with the  route structures of KLM, and Emirates, this alliance offers connections to more cities on the African Continent than any other group.  

Malaysia Airlines provides convenient connections to Asia from Johannesburg and Cape Town. South African Airlines in addition to African destinations, provides direct service to Europe, Australia, South America, North America, and Asia.

South Pacific  

Air Pacific with a hub in Fiji offers connections to many locations in the region including Australia and New Zealand. Air Tahiti Nui provides service to several island destinations as well as New Zealand and Australia. Air Calin, Air Vanuatu and Polynesian Airlines offer service to a host of obscure island nations in the South Pacific. Continental has a hub in Guam and provide service to many of the South Pacific Islands, as well as Cairns in Australia, and Bali in Indonesia.   

Malaysia Airlines provides service to a surprising number of cities in Australia and New Zealand from its Kuala Lumpur hub.  Malaysia and Emirates have a few domestic routings in Australia but travel within the Australian continent is limited. South African Airlines provide additional service to Perth and Sydney from South Africa.

Possible Itineraries

• Sample 25,000: Detroit -  Amsterdam - Paris - Cairo - Nairobi - Bombay - Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok - Hong Kong - Tokyo - Beijing - Detroit
• Sample 30,000: Detroit - Hawaii - Fiji - Melbourne - Sydney - Johannesburg - Victoria Falls - Cape Town - Buenos Aires  - Panama - Costa Rica - Detroit
• Sample 35,000:  Detroit - New York - Tokyo - Hong Kong - Bangkok - Perth - Johannesburg - Nairobi - Athens - Amsterdam - Tel Aviv - Detroit
• Sample 40,000: Detroit - Cancun - Rio De Janeiro - Sao Paulo - Johannesburg - Nairobi - Amsterdam - London - Paris - Beijing - Kuala Lumpur- Borneo - Singapore - Melbourne - Sydney - Fiji - Hawaii - Detroit 
  
  This itinerary has 15 stops and all stops over 10 are assessed a $100 dollar surcharge per stop. This routing would cost $5,499 in coach nd $9,389 in Business.

These are just a few of the possible routings, thousands of different routing possibilities can be utilized with theses fares