I've seen CX availability on AA for a long time now. However you can't book CX PE on AA, yet.

OK, time for a real example, maybe this will clarify why I feel so stupid about the whole thing! (I don't want to go straight to the dedicated Airline forum just yet - we can pretend this is general info, but at least you can verify what I'm saying...or set me straight...)

Delta to JNB - one way - from JFK - 115K (business) through LHR on Virgin Atlantic. Awesome. (Not really, but it'll do.) PIT to JFK is 14500, also available that day, and the day before. Pit to JNB is 465K, with no option to route through JFK to LHR. Why, Delta, Why? Why does it have to be so discouraging? How can I make this work?

So part deux - I go to, say, the KLM website - because KLM does fly JFK to AMS (on a Delta flight - with plenty of award space) to JNB (on KLM). So in theory, I should be able to call Delta and book this flight - since it's available at KLM. How many miles is Delta going to charge me for this? 115K? or 465k? or some random number?

Just guessing, but is the PIT to JFK that is available for 14500 Delta miles in business or first class, or is it in economy? If in economy, it may not work to combine it with an international business class award. I'd book the JFK-LHR-JNB flight if that is what you want and worry about the PIT-JFK separately. Or call Delta and see what happens.

I think the best thing to do would be to call Delta. But there is no guarantee that this will be available through Delta. An airline may have better award availability for its own frequent fliers than it offers to partner airlines.

These are questions that might be better answered in the Delta forum.

You're right - it was economy, my error - but "First Class" (business on this route, Pit-JFK) is 18000 - barely a change.

I know THIS question is better suited in the Delta forum - but I don't care specifically about Delta - I was just using them for an example - considering they don't publish mileage charts, this seems like a situation I'd run into at all such airlines - how much will they charge when I call in for a flight on a partner airline?

Regarding calling Delta - yes - exactly - and that contradicts everything you did up above, with using BA to find a Cathay flight then calling AA. If the answer were just "call delta" then you would have just called AA, no? It's exactly this scenario - and apparently on the surface contradictory processes - that led me to post here in the first place! (Please don't take my tone wrong, I mean nothing malicious - I'm just used to working where things are more black and white, and less of an art form! I sincerely appreciate the advice and conversation so far.)

The important thing to understand is that some FFPs offer "married-segment" award availability (where AAA-BBB-CCC is available for redemption at a "cheap" rate, but AAA-BBB and BBB-CCC as stand-alone redemptions are not). The same FFP might also have "divorced-segment" award availability (where AAA-BBB and BBB-CCC are available at a cheap redemption rate as stand-alone redemptions, but not as a through-redemption). It's a fool's errand to try to figure out why those practices may apply in a particular case; you just need to understand and accept that they do.

Re: calling an airline. It's been reported here on FT that the American Airlines website -- aa.com -- does not always accurately reflect award availability. An AA agent might be able to see -- and book -- cheaper ("MileSAAver") award flights that are not displayed on aa.com. In addition, AA credit-card holders are eligible for cheaper awards to airports on the list of reduced-mileage-award destinations; those awards can only be booked by phone; but you can use aa.com to search for MileSAAver award seats, and if you find any, you can then call AA to book at the reduced-mileage-award rate.

Ah! So AA is a bit of an exception in that regard - and (pretty planely...er plainly, sorry) - many other exceptions apply...thanks again.