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?
Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
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.
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.
As
Thunderroad mentioned, phone is the only way to do this. (Depending on your AA status, you may have a fee assessed for ticketing through a phone agent, but there's no way around it.) I'll chime in also and add that EXP AAgents that I've worked with tend to be pretty creative and proactive - looking for other connection cities and other partners if possible.
Availability does come and go, and as pointed out earlier, CX does tend to do a good job of opening additional inventory as the date gets closer if inventory permits. One option, which I've done before, is to just go ahead and book the flight you want if only J is available. Then keep checking to see if F opens up. When it does, call back AA and have them grab the seat. (Award ticket re-issues involve re-depositing your miles and issuing a new award. AA normally charges a fee for mileage re-deposits if you're not EXP. However, AA also doesn't charge the re-deposit fee if you're "buying up" from a Y award to J, or from J to F.)