Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Hello, Newman!



"I've heard that United's business class is pretty bad, but does "operated by" mean that I'll actually be flying another airline's plane?"



Yes, that's exactly what "operated by" means.



"There are several 80K Business Saver flights available!"



That's great availability, but hardly an exceptional value. Currently, AA only charges 55K miles for a Business Class one-way between NYC and BKK on Cathay Pacific and JAL. (Unfortunately, you do not have AA miles.) Just make sure that every flight on the Business Class award itineraries displayed on united.com is, in fact, in Business Class.



You can also transfer your Amex MR points to Aeroplan to redeem for one-way awards on Star Alliance carriers. But only the following Aeroplan partners offer surcharge-free redemptions:



Air China

Brussels

EVA Air

Egypt Air

Ethiopian

Scandanavian

Singapore

Swiss

Turkish

United