dhacker,

I cut this from the Marriott website:

1. Airline partners are pleased to accommodate most requests for redeeming reward certificates; however, Marriott's airline partners do not fly to all Marriott locations. Airline reward certificates are only valid on published flights that have been pre-selected for reward travel. All reward travel must be on the most direct route available. Schedules may be revised and service discontinued without notice on any Marriott partner airline.

2. When making plans for reward travel, please call Marriott's airline partner's reservations number, listed on the rewards certificate, for the most up-to-date information on flight and seat availability and blackout dates. Blackout date information is listed on reward certificates and is subject to change. Reward seats are capacity controlled, which limits availability.

3. To make reservations, the member should call Marriott's airline partner's reservations number and identify himself/herself as a Marriott Rewards member traveling on a reward certificate. The certificate number, the reward code and other pertinent information must be provided at the time of booking, before reservations can be confirmed.

These rules would seem to indicate that the process of booking award travel on the partner airlines using points transferred from Marriott are subject to special restrictions--destination must be pre-selected through the Marriott program, there are specific blackout dates and capacity controls for Marriott rewards, etc.

Are you saying that these rules aren't enforced for UA awards (and maybe AA awards)? But they are for the other partner airlines? Any knowledge of how DL might enforce these rules?

Any help would be most appreciated. I don't have my Latin Pass miles yet (I still have faith!) but really want to make sure I understand all my options when I finally become a Latin Pass millionaire!