Originally Posted by Debonaire

Following your advice, I was able to find award space for LGA-ORD-NRT-PEK, though with the ORD-NRT and NRT-PEK segments showing up only separately. The agent was able to book LGA-ORD-NRT, but told me NRT-PEK was "not confirming". It appears that the NRT-PEK space is showing up on BA and AS but not QF. Perhaps phantom space? She ended up placing LGA-ORD-NRT on hold for now.

A few questions:
1. For purposes of determining O/D, do co-terminals count? If I have to depart from JFK instead of LGA, will I have to redeposit the miles?
2. If I want to change say the NRT-PEK segment but not the LGA-ORD-NRT segments, is my current seat on LGA-ORD-NRT sufficient, or does there need to be availability still on that route? (For example if reticketing involves releasing all of my seats then obtaining them again, the seats may disappear and not go directly back into inventory.)
3. Is "not confirming" inventory a common phenomenon? Maybe I should just HUCA and hope the next agent makes it work.

My plan is to search around these next few days for the NRT-PEK segment and get something confirmed, even if it's an undesirable routing (for example, LGA-ORD-NRT-HKG-PEK barely qualifies under maximum permitted mileage). Then I can always come back and change it later. The key is to grab the ORD-NRT space for good.

Thank you all for the good advice!

Originally Posted by flyingeph12

For O/D purposes, co-terminals count as separate origins/destinations, so if you change from, e.g., JFK to LGA, that would be a change in origin. I'm not sure why the agent can see the award space but is not able to confirm it. However, I would check not only NRT-PEK but also HND-PEK. The ground transfer would be annoying, and you might have to overnight because of it. But if NRT-PEK opens up later you can always switch. That sort of switch between co-terminals in the middle of an itinerary does not incur a redeposit/change fee.