Originally Posted by
sokolov
Sure, I can book over the phone. But Amex has an offer that only works for bookings through the United.com/en/ca website. If I can't use it, I'll just book Air Canada.
I'm wondering if this is new or a known issue.
I also don't think United wants all Yukoners to call in for bookings. (Then again United doesn't seem to be interested in Yukon traffic anyway. Itineraries to/from YXY are bookable, but cost thousands of dollars more than when booked through Air Canada directly.)
It's often the case that codeshares (or even native flight numbers booked with another airline) are more expensive. Blame AC, not UA. They most likely have a restriction in the fare rules for their cheaper fares that they must be on AC ticket stock. UA is happy to sell you a cheap AC fare if the fare rules allow it.
If you want to be sure, pull up the cheap AC flight you want on matrix and read the rules.