Originally Posted by
Smileycj1
Thank you so much for the reply! So is nothin showing up in the results because I can't book it online? Or because there is no availability on the dates I picked? It's hard for me to figure out what I should expect to see. Is this just a one-off situation as the Galapagos are pretty remote? Maybe that is my problem, I'm trying to extrapolate my experience looking into Galapagos travel to other destinations as well. I did find RNO to Santiago online.
Would I have to call us airways to book award on any partner airline? Does this apply generally to most mile programs or is each one different in what can be done online?
Again, thank you!!!
Yes in this case you will have to call to book due to LAN flights not showing up online.
Some programs have almost all partners (some may even have 100%, not sure offhand) bookable online, it just varies. The airline specific forums on here generally have good info on the nuances of searching and booking with each program.
Should you extrapolate this experience to others? Well, the limitations of US and AA's online search and booking would continue to apply until or unless they incorporate more partners online. But each routing is unique - many things can factor in to how hard it is to find availability for a given route on a given date. Difficulty in finding seats for AAA-BBB doesn't necessarily mean you'll also have problems with AAA-CCC or DDD-BBB - though some airlines seem to be more stingy than others in releasing award seats at the lower mileage levels. Usually just takes some time researching and trial and error.