I've had no problem booking award tickets in other StarAlliance Partners using my VARIG points. Except trying to use UA ! ...

Last year I tried to go with UA from MEL to AKL, as their timetable suits me better. I tried to book 6 months in advance and was quite flexible with the dates, but there was no way.
AirNZ put me in waitlist for a couple of days and confirmed the exact dates I wanted.

It was easy with AN and TG too ...

So,.. I think the point is: depending on the route and in the carrier, availability varies a LOT ! Best way out of it ,.. book in advance and always have a second option !

MMM

[This message has been edited by MMM (edited 11-23-1999).]