Originally Posted by
paul4471
Another tip - I was looking to take the AA codeshare on CX metal from HKG-NRT and despite it being in the AA pdf timetable the agent couldn't see it. Only when she booked the through fare to DFW did it show up and then again she had no problem with booking me on it. Likewise an AY codeshare on QF metal from HKG-PER, had to add the HEL-HKG sector and book HEL-xHKG-PER to be able to see the codeshare flight # in the system.
Greetings, Paul,
As Gardy mentioned, this is, indeed, policy. For example, I fly several times/year LAX-LHR-JNB/CPT. Obviously, the LHR-JNB/CPT segments are on BA metal, but I would prefer AA numbers because BA numbers do not earn elite status premiums in AAdvantage. I can book into the AA numbers if, and only if, I'm connecting to or from a TATL flight on AA metal. Sometimes on the return, I fly back to LHR then off to someplace else. Can't get the AA numbers on the JNB/CPT-LHR. I've even tried to book JNB-LHR-LAX to get the AA number, then cancel the LHR-LAX segment. No go.
I suspect that you experienced precisely the reverse of what you thought when booking the AKL-MEL-PER flights. The first few agents with whom you spoke knew the rules and applied them. The last one may have been new and not known.