Originally Posted by Boraxo
4. Do your homework. If you are travelling internationally, make sure you write down all of the partner airlines that have flights to your destination. For example, you can fly United to Paris, but they may not have any seats available. Some CSRs will not bother to suggest other partners such as Lufthansa, SAS and Air Canada, which also fly to London. If you have done your homework, you can ask the CSR to check these carriers. And if you are really sharp, you will look up the routings. For example, you can ask the agent to check Air Canada via Toronto and Montreal. Or United via SFO, LAX, JFK, IAD and ORD. Don't assume that this will happen automatically.