WolfvanWeen

We're talking about everything here, zagy.

There seems to be a massive reduction in availability, even for very simple untricked routes.

It seems to be a combination of factors, but it can be safely said that flights via the hubs in C1 are most affected.

There have been changes at the capacity *A partners make available to LM, and for sure it didn't help that lots of people tried to use up their US miles before the alliance change. (they've been right if you look at the program changes AA immediately introduced)

But there's another element at work: The infamous Avianca route replacer we've already written about.
It seems to try to take over more routes than before, and if Avianca doesn't offer availability, so does the whole system.
You can see this by searching for LHR-EWR availability in economy class on April 15: if you go with Smart Search, you will see the unmistakable sign that Avianca tries to serve that route - the different layout. No availability.

If you search the same date with UA as prefered airline, you will only see availability in first class (because Avianca doesn't offer that).
However if you search the same date with "Star Alliance", you will see lots of UA flights available in all three classes!!!

This shows that the Avianca replacer algorithm targets direct flights where a prefered airline is specified.
This kills some of the routes from/to C1/C2 hubs where Avianca/Taca operate, when UA or AC has to be set.
It also seems to target flight segments of connection flights, even when StarAlliance is specified (see chainsaw).

Hence if neither origin nor destination is served by Avianca, but a segment in the middle of the route is, and if the whole route can't be played in first, we're in trouble. In more trouble than before, with the anyway already scarce availabilty...

I don't think this deliberately went against our friendly Chainy Bears. But the effect is just the same.