Welcome to the Newbies Only thread for the oneworld MegaDo (OWMD). For those new to flying along on a MegaDo, you'll often be faced with some confusion and a myriad of threads and posts that are even hard at times for for the repeat member of these MegaDo's to keep up with. This thread is designed to slow down that pace and provide some sense of one-on-one with your questions. Welcome. DO WHAT? OK, let's start at the beginning. A "DO" is a dictionary term used to describe a gathering, In this case it is a noun and decribes a party or other social event. The term "MegaDO" was used by one of the co-founders of milepoint, Tommy Danielsen (Tommy777) in 2009 when he and a loose group of other volunteers (among them Oliver and Reb) thought it would be a cool idea to charter a plane (we know, bad idea huh?) and fly to see the Airbus factory in France. Despite the seemingly unsurmountable odds they pulled it off, the participants had the time of their life and now it is one of the hottest tickets on the planet for a frequent flyer/aviation experience. Yes, it's a party. Yes, it's a social event. And yes, you'll have access to tours and experiences that none of your fellow man (or woman) will likely be able to match. WHAT ARE YOU GETTING YOURSELF INTO?: We've been fortunate to have the press fly along on some of these MegaDo's and here's some story links to their perspective—views of what a MegaDo is all about. Here's The Wall Street Journal story on the StarMegaDo (2009) and the StarMegaDo3 (2011). If you want to really do your research, here's the Master Thread of a recent MegaDo and you'll be able to read along from the participant's view. ATTIRE: What to wear? From flipflops and t-shirts to blazers and leather shoes—it's what you are comfortable with. At times, some of the evening events seem to bring out a bit more dress, but typically nothing requiring bow-ties and tails. Since seeing might be believing, here's a few links to some of the photo threads of prior MegaDo's. You'll see events and inflight attire here, here and even in this video. Hope this helps ... TIP: Pack light. SAY WHAT?: One of the things that can confuse a newbie to any event is the veteran's use of acronyms. There's plenty of them within the frequent flyer programs and sure to be some exclusive to the MegaDo's. Here's a tip: milepoint has a unique dynamic glossary which means that when you see an acronym you need help with it's definition, simply double-click on it or just highlight the acronym and you'll see a definition pop up in the upper right hand corner of the page. Here's an example, for instance if the OWMD were to begin at DFW and participants were going to earn double EQM's for the charter flight and one of the posters referred to the SMD and you were wondering if there is going to an any ASR for the MegaDo and if there is AFS on your connecting flight. And you'll likely want to know if you have to PYOB, maybe in the AC and if the OW is going to honor any new elite status such as AG. But there may be some who get kicked up to EXP. And then if you like to make a MR on the way to or from the OWMD, don't forget that CPM is a most important factor. C-H-H-H-H-HANGES No matter the hundreds of hours that go into planning these events ... things happen. So up front here's a word of advice you'll need to keep in your back pocket at all times—there may be in all likelihood, last minute changes of events and times. One of the most important things you can do is to fall in with a repeat participant of these MegaDo's. They will likely be in tune to how last second announcements are made. As well, there will be a flood of information updated within this forum for the oneworld MegaDo so it will be a savvy move to check in from time to time as the event nears or use the "watch thread" function (a link to this term will show a video on how to do this) for any of the threads you see information about the MegaDo. This will alert you to additions to the thread—but beware, this is a chatty bunch of excited participants.
Hey Randy, I think your first photo link was trying to go to mine, but the link didn't seem to work (forum software shortens it for display purposes it appears, so you couldn't copy it). Here is it: https://picasaweb.google.com/115202...authkey=Gv1sRgCL3QupGwsfCz8AE&feat=directlink
Thanks for heads up, i corrected it. Also —congrats on the great profile of you recently in The Wall Street Journal.
Thanks this is very helpful. Since 2009 I was jealous at the *A people for their MegaDO, now I finally have a chance to enjoy one.
I missed SMD1 and SMD2 but I am happy to report that most people on SMD3 failed to be at all threatening or scary, although a few were obviously obsessed and addicted (to MP). You might even be almost disappointed by how anticlimactic your first MegaDO, er even your first DO, can be. It's a generally friendly bunch of very different and interesting people. Don't worry, you'll like it.Just show up ready for some fun, ideally not in a sleep-deprived state, although there will be evidence of jetlag all around you.
Rumors and speculations were discussed last night and also at breakfast and on the pool deck today. however, I won't tell (yet).
Hey! I've been a lurker on MP for some time, and this is my first post. I have just heard about the OWMD 1 a few days back and am very interested in participating. I was wondering several things though. (I have no knowledge/experience of how MegaDo's work.) So how do I "participate"? I saw the schedule posted today. Do I buy a OWMD ticket and everything will be booked for me (flights/hotels)? If not, do I have to book those flights myself? Can I use miles or is it a cash fare ticket? How much am I looking at for a cost? I'd appreciate it if someone to help me understand the workings of it. Thank you!
Just continue to follow this forum. Randy showed us a prototype tonight of the new booking site. For the first time, attendees will be able to go in and book on the site and select seats from a seat map. If a seat is grayed out (occupied), the attendees handle will appear if you hover your mouse over the seat. The prices were not officially announced, but they will be around $800 for Y, $1,200 for Tommy Class, and $1,700 for F. I can't remember the AA mileage for the charter, but I think it started at 7,500 miles for Y.
I think it was 7500 in Y, 10K in "Tommy Class" and 15K in 1st - EQM, with an equivalent amount in RDM.
Thank you guys! So for the optional legs though, was it mentioned that it would also be bookable via the booking site or would that be on our own too?
I believe the international option will also be bookable through the megado site, which will also have all the necessary hotel codes, etc. The intent as I understood it is for the site to be a true 'one stop shop' for all of the DO info and bookings.
