In the past, I’ve spent several slides at DansDeals seminars instructing people to use websites like ANA and Air Canada to find award space that United.com won’t find.
For more advanced award bookers it’s been a blessing in disguise. It meant that fewer people knew how to book that award, which meant better award availability. Just last week I was able to find plenty of award space to Europe this summer on dates that when United.com came back with a goose egg.
For Israel that included flights on Lot Polish and Brussels. LOT came back to United.com late last year and now Brussels is back on United.com as well:
United.com is much more adept at finding partner award space than AA.com or Delta.com is. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing depends on your perspective.
United still offers a free stopover on award tickets. If you’re willing to stopover in Brussels you can find even better award space by searching for NYC-Brussels separately from Brussels-Tel Aviv. After searching for each of those segments separately as a one-way award you can use the multiple destination award search to book an award by specifying NYC-Brussels and then Brussels-Tel Aviv, or you can call to stitch together an award.
United has dozens of partner airlines which means lots of award opportunities. However not all of them are currently bookable online, you’ll have to call (or use the Aeroplan or ANA sites) to get the full picture:
United partners that currently must be booked over the phone:
-Air Dolomiti
-Cape Air
-Great Lakes Airlines
-Jet Airways
-Shenzhen
-Singapore
And here’s the list of partners currently bookable on United.com:
-Adria Airlines
-Aegean Airlines
-Aer Lingus
-Aeromar Airlines
-Air Canada
-Air China
-Air India
-Air New Zealand
-ANA
-Asiana Airlines
-Austrian Airlines
-Avianca Airlines
-Azul Brazilian Airlines
-Brussels Airlines
-Copa Airlines
-Croatia Airlines
-Egyptair
-Ethiopian Airlines
-EVA Air
-Germanwings
-Hawaiian Airlines
-Island Air
-LOT Polish
-Lufthansa
-Scandinavian Airlines
-Silver Airways
-South African Airways
-Swiss International Airlines
-TAP Portugal
-THAI
-Turkish Airlines
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25 Comments On "Brussels Airlines Awards Are Bookable On United.com Once Again"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Air India is bookable on united.com just FYI
is th united plan B still working?
Air India is bookable online as well.
Hi Dan, I have united points and Iwanna book three tickets to Israel on June 22 thru 28 what would be my best options? I know I’m late in the game but maybe yiu have any idea? a cash ticket is around 1709
How do I search star alliance awards on Ana’s new websites design. I can’t seem to figure it out.
“United still offers a free stopover on award tickets.”
Up to 24 hours. Right?
@Chapshnell:
Thanks.
@yanky:
Yes.
@Don will:
Just click on international flight award.
@Samuel:
Stopovers have no time limit.
Under 24 hours is a connection, you can have several of those.
Can someone explain this in short? If I want to travel to switzerland or Israel can I use this? I don’t have any awards.
Dan: The new website of ANA doesn’t show partners availability. The old search trick doesn’t work anymore.
@Shlomi:
It most certainly does.
https://aswbe-i.ana.co.jp/international_asw/pages/award/search/roundtrip/award_search_roundtrip_input.xhtml?CONNECTION_KIND=JPN&LANG=en&rand=20150616123950
Dan you are always right, however I don’t see it. A lot of ‘info’ to read, many tabs but not lemaase a way to search. May be you can post please how to do it. I googled this (I know you are past this) and found other sites complaining about this. Tks
@Shlomi:
Click on the link in comment 10.
Good info. Do you have a similar post detailed what airline partners are searched/not when using AA.com?
Tks. Getting error (no availability, even though United has with partners). I will play a little with it. Tks
@Sammy:
I don’t have one yet.
@Shlomi:
ANA searches optimally when you enter each segment separately.
In other words when searching JFK-BRU-TLV search JFK-BRU and BRU-TLV as their own legs.
“United still offers a free stopover on award tickets.”
On round trip that is. Correct?
Dan – for the partners that are bookable via phone .. how many can get you to israel?
I find non stop availablity to TLV on United impossible. What do you reccomend?
Can I book on United.com with AA points?
Dan, What is the definition of “Free stopover”? Staying at the stop for a full day?
@Josh:
no
@Josh: Yes
Need help booking a ticket for my son to get to camp – FLL to JFK or Laguardia. Camp starts 7/20 so he would like to spend Shabbos in CH before. could fly in on 7/16 or early 7/17. Camp ends 8/18 – can fly back on 8/19th.
I have 51K Aadvantage miles, 25K Avios and 15K in AMEX membership reward points.
He is 13 so not sure how it works for young travelers using points.
Please need some advice how to find a flight for him (direct flight)
Anything NYC-TLV beginning of August? No sales, no Avios and UA availability
@Eddie: please leave us with your SSN and DOB and rep will get back to you asap
@eli. I’m not looking for you to book the flight but for tips where I should find the best options for this situation. I did try through BritishAirways.com site and through Aa.com both came out with or no direct flights which are required for a young traveler or for high requested miles. As a person who helps others if I know something they don’t,I am looking for some advice from someone who might understand more in this matter than myself. So thanks for your response