Originally Posted by
decibel08
all of these partner redemptions need to happen on the phone with AA though correct? are the agents as lazy as those at delta that i'm used to - meaning will i have to supply all the possible itineraries for them to check availability on?
Yep, via phone. Not sure what your AA status is. I've found the EXP CSRs very good at searching for availability, but can't speak about other AA service desks.
There's a new, great, free (for now) service for numerous airlines' award availability being tested that I believe is open to some or all FT members. It's called Award Nexus. I've found it very useful and accurate re CX availability. Not sure about JL. You might want to try to find it here in FT or online, and check it out. If in fact you can use it, finding available flights before calling AA can come in quite handy.
CX F (and I suppose J) availability comes and goes, so don't be discouraged if when you first look there's nothing available for the date(s) you want.