Originally Posted by
UA-NYC
That being said - there is zero excuse to be offering awards on *A partners, where only *A flights are needed, at the standard level (JFK-ZRH on LX being the example in another thread). Spending 2.5x the miles books you into the exact same fare bucket as what you'd pay for Saver miles and gives you no add'l flexibility.
There is additional flexibility: you can make changes to flights that only have standard availability after booking without any redeposit shens. This is analogous to a Y fare vs a L fare. Booking a Y fare gets you the exact same seat as an L fare.
Standard vs saver award is about the ticket UA is writing you. That *A partners don't offer each other last seat availability for awards is irrelevant.