I'm trying for an award trip MSP-SYD in November. I have UA MP miles, enough for a "saver" in F, but of course there are no seats and I'm in Y waitlisted for C or F. UA says that I cannot split legs between carriers, but apparently you can on AC. is this a *A rule or just something UA and AC decided for themselves? I would not mind flying on SQ or Thai from LAX/SFO to SIN/BKK and then to SYD as long as it was all in F, but the MSP-LAX/SFO would obviously have to be on UA (unless I just bought a cheap ticket for that part). my travelling partner is an AA EXP and could not get anything on Qantas and instead is on Cathay via HKG ex SFO.

I have saved miles and done cheap-o weekend runs to Europe on UA specifically to get enough for my dream vacation to Oz, but I can't use em! I could book a standard F award as there is availabilty but I am short 40,000 miles and probably cannot earn enough between now and then, and besides the seats will probably be gone anyway. so I was thinking maybe I could book the award on SQ or Thai and have them code-share the UA domestic parts? AC has availability YVR-HNL-SYD in C but that's a way-long trip and AC has no F.

any ideas, or just hold out for an F saver on UA and take my E+ seat when it doesn't happen? 14:30 hours in E anything is just nuts, been there done that, never again.

Your chance of clearing the wait list for a November flight is 1% as a 1P (maybe 50% as a 1K). November is not too busy, so there is some hope, but others will also wait-list for those awards and they will be ahead of you. The AC alternative is actually pretty good, take that if you want C, or accept Y on UA. I'm sure UA will keep issuing Y awards with C/F waitlist between now and November. Of course the better way on Star is Air NZ, maybe you should check for availability via AKL.

yeah, I tried NZ. maybe AC won't be so bad in C. never been on an A340, what the heck.

AC flights are permitted on NAmerican UA awards, but does not UA have a STAR Alliance Award Chart like other parnters do? Most have their own award chart, plus a second one which permits travel on two or more STAR partners for about the same number of miles/points. Unless you book using this chart, you will not be able to fly any carriers other than UA, and AC within NAmerica. Contact UA about their STAR Award Chart, or if they still don't have one, when it will be introduced.

thanks for the "star chart" info. it'd be nice if there was a central award clearinghouse of sorts for *A but I guess I'll call UA and whine, or maybe AC or SQ.