Originally Posted by wobbly wings
Many thanks guys. ^
Incidentally re UA flights, I have just discovered the redemptions available on UA directly are not the same as the ones shown when getting the award through a partner (eg ANA). I was not aware of this.
Very common problem.
You almost always get better availability for your native carrier tickets than for partners. Also some partners have different deals so ANA for example may get better LH availability than BMI.