I've been trying to book a partner award on Air New Zealand from Melbourne to Christchurch. United website says there's award availability for the flight I want, but when I try to grab it, the transaction errors out. (Weirdly, the flight comes and goes: it appeared on Sunday, then disappeared yesterday, and is showing again today). At this point, I'm assuming this is a phantom award.

Multiple calls to web support haven't helped (different incoherent explanations each time, including no NZ inventory). Apart from feeling irritated with the situation and giving up, is there anything I can do?

Try a different browser. I often have issues with Firefox on UA's website.

Become an Aeroplan member and check for availability on their website. It's more reliable than UA's.

I've tried 3 different browsers and several different payment methods -- and I'm still getting the error message on the final screen. Aeroplan also indicates that there's award availability on the flight. This is maddening.

Browser has nothing to do with what availability .com returns.

If it shows on AP, too, it's probably a NZ issue, not a UA issue. Nothing much you can do but keep trying.

Blast. Thanks for the input -- it's useful to know that it's (probably) not me!

I've had good luck booking domestic NZ flights through Aeroplan at quite reasonable rates. This space never showed up on .com

I've not looked for trans-Tasman tickets that way, but wouldn't be surprised if this was also the case.

It illustrates the value of building up points in more than one program, and using them for different types of bookings.

Try calling United for the reservation. Given the web issues, they may be willing to waive the fee.

I also tried this. The agent I spoke to saw the flight, but then claimed it wasn't actually available.

Unfortunately, I wasted half of last week trying to book miles seats on UA/SAS. Any flight involving SAS was crashing when I went to book.

Phone call to 1k desk revealed there really was NO availability on SAS. United said "they must not have updated their inventory in our system" and that she was going to let the right people know about it.

I finally gave up and booked a UA/LH combo instead.

Sorry to bump an older thread, but this is still an issue. I am attempting to book my Dad in/out of RUH, yet every option on UA.com is not available when I call in to book it. Logged into the NH tool for the first time in a few years and they aren't displaying the same phantom space.

Experiencing this error with LH and MS flights. Anybody else seeing this? Extremely frustrating to think of how much time I've wasted on the phone this week with UA.

..........but don't do anything else with Aeroplan and Air Canada. Neither the program or the airline is worth the trouble due to chronic, systemic and ingrained business practice.

Seriously, as an American who has to deal with AC about 10-15 times a year, give them a wide berth. If you do fly AC you absolutely must spend the extra for their On My Way program. This gives you (for an upcharge) an ability to call a human being to assist in getting new flights in an IRROPS situation.

I am not making this up, if you don't get the On My Way, you are at the mercy of AC's employees................... https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/...on-my-way.html
without this you are abandoned with only online access or AC gate agents who are notoriously void of empathy, assistance or understanding.

There are numerous stories in the last 6 months about
- 14 year old unaccompanied minor being bumped from a flight until the following day, unable to check in to a hotel as they were too young and sleeping in an airport,
- 15 year old unaccompanied minor missing flight to delays and going up to AC employees asking for help being told "that's not my job", had to sleep in the airport over night
- and a family with a handicapped wheelchair bound child being led to and left in a dark unheated room for over an hour until a passing employee pointed them in the right direction, they were then given a flight the next day and made to stay in the airport over night, flew home all on 4 seats nowhere near the other and AC lost all their luggage.



Be very wary of AC.

Fwiw, I am still seeing all of the phantom space on UA.bomb.

What is even stranger is that I can see the same phantom space on the NH Tool. Unless it is HON/SEN only space, I find it odd NH is showing phantom space.. AeroPlan also shows the same ticket which UA says is not available.

UA.com is showing a flight I want to book, DEN-AUA in business on Copa. When trying to book online it errors out on payment and upon calling they tell me it cannot be booked. Is there anything I can do to get this booked at the rate they are showing on their website?

Your title is misleading. It's not that their 'not honoring'. It's that there is sometimes phantom space as the databases don't sync in real time, especially for partner awards.
You need to find 'true' award space. Expert Flyer, Aeroplan, ANA can all be used to corroborate.

United has no sway over partner availability. Even if you were cancelled due to IRROPs, partner availability must be available to re-book you back into award class. However, UA has sway over their own award availability. But in this case, Copa, you're out of luck.