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oneworld® is offering a new version of its oneworld Explorer round-the-world fare – for travel solely in the southern hemisphere.

It follows the recent launch of services by LATAM Airlines between Brazil’s Sao Paulo and South Africa’s Johannesburg – making a circumnavigation of the globe south of the equator possible on oneworld member airlines for the first time.

Qantas links Johannesburg with Sydney and its extensive Australasian network. Both LATAM and Qantas link Sydney with Santiago, with an option of a stop in New Zealand – and then on to LATAM’s unmatched South American network.

oneworld Explorer’s new three-continent version is available for sale from select countries in the southern hemisphere – including Australia, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand.

It includes flights on a South West Pacific–Africa-South America-South West Pacific routeing, flying in a westwards or eastwards direction – with flights included within each continent. oneworld is the only airline alliance with an Australia-based member airline, in Qantas.

Unlike other round-the-world fares, oneworld Explorer’s price is based on the number of continents you visit, not the distance you fly, making planning and pricing your journey much more simple and flexible.

Prices of this new three-continent version of oneworld Explorer (excluding taxes and other charges) start from, for travel starting in

• Australia and the South West Pacific – AUD 3,299 Economy, AUD 10,499 Business Class.
• South Africa – ZAR 21,560 Economy, ZAR 80,460 Business Class.
• South America, excluding Brazil – USD 3,200 Economy, USD 8,600 Business Class.
• Brazil – USD 3,300 Economy, USD 8,100 Business Class.

As of yesterday, March 31^st, US Airways has left Star Alliance and is now a member of oneworld, a partnership whose member carriers include American Airlines, British Airways, LAN, Japan Airlines, and Iberia, among others. To celebrate this transition, The Points Guy has reported that US Airways is offering a promotion where flyers traveling with oneworld partners can earn up to 25,000 bonus miles between now and June.

The number of points you can earn depends on the number of carriers you fly with. The tiered points system is as follows:

Number of Carriers                Bonus Miles

6+                                            25,000

5                                              15,000

4                                              5,000

3                                              2,500

2                                              500

1                                              0

It is important to note that if you fly with the same carrier more than once, you will only get bonus miles for the first flight. Also, US Airways flights do not count towards the promotion. Finally, you must register here and fly by June 30, 2014 in order to qualify for the bonus miles.

Photo Source: Kentaroiemoto via Flickr, CC 2.0