Checking for *A availability online?
 

I frequently fly US - Germany (to HAJ or BER). Is there any carrier that allows to cross-search other (or all) *A members for award availability? I don't mind to call for the actual booking but I loathe having an agent check 55 different options for me and they usually do too. :)

I am piecing things together on my own right now which is fairly time intensive. I used to fly more Northwest than United and while NW/KLM have limited inventory (it outright stinks), they are well integrated.

Any pointers are much appreciated.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=509679

This tool has some limitations. For example, US Airways does not have access to most of the SQ flights from Asia to US. There have been similar complaints from UA users. It was helpful to me for SQ flights within Asia, and I got ANA & Thai business class seats to the US. Don't know what the experience to or within Europe will be.

The ANA tool displays full *A award availability with the exception of LX operated flights (you can check LX flights on lufthansa.com if you have a M&M account and enough miles).

You should be able to book these awards with any *A FFP (except for UA MP and US DM, those programs have several limitations, aka they suck).

Thanks guys, the tool is not perfect but SO much better than what I did before!!! ^

Does anyone know why US & UA have less access to the award seats?

Even though US & UA don't always have access to the seats the tool shows availability for, it gives the UA & US members some idea of the flights they could have some luck with.

Many think that UA and US aren't willing to reimburse foreign *A carriers for premium award seats beyond a certain limit. It's simply cheaper to restrict users of their FFPs to award seats on the home carrier.

Others say that UA MP and US DM members have a ridiculously high number of miles on their accounts and love (aka prefer) to spend them on "foreign" carriers which they perceive as better (OK, they are better). Hence, in order to protect the minority of their their own elites, those premium *A carriers basically restrict award seat access for US DM and UA MP members, and of of course UA and US happily agree and implement that restriction in accordance with the first theory.

Of course, it's utterly irrelevant which theory is correct (it might well be a mix of both), as it is merely the result that counts. And the result is: MP and DM suck when it comes to *A award redemption in premium classes.