Alternative routing at 50% off
Was seeking to get two J mileage ticket from EU to HNL. Going westerly, UA wanted 400K miles each, regardless of which departure city I checked. Not having 800K miles right now, I was able to piece together a J itinerary with a stop in Japan that would get us home for 440K total miles. Going easterly is a drag on the body, but the westerly route included problematic timing and connections that was not a piece of cake either.
Oh I miss the good old days of having an agent piece together an International F award!