Using Velocity Points For United Trans Atlantic or Domestic Reward Seats - No Direct Option

[Abbaskip]

This seems really strange to me, and I understand yield, through availability etc but to me this is beyond that as it *never* shows.

When searching for reward seats with United on the Velocity engine, whenever I search United flights within the USA or to Europe it only ever gives me itineraries with minimum one stop. I'm looking to fly SYD - SFO - NYC - LON and understand that any time I want a stop over I would need to search for a separate flight to use VA points. The routes I'm after all come up etc, but if I search:
SYD - SFO I get direct
SYD - EWR I get one stop via SFO as an option
SFO - EWR I get one stop via IAH or LAX mostly
SFO - LHR I get one stop via EWR as an option , I don't get direct options
EWR - LHR I only get options via LAX, SFO, IAH etc

Has anyone had any luck, or does anybody know if there are bookable by phoning Velocity?

Also, does anybody know an accurate way of gauging VS award availability, as I know they're a good option (and could then possibly fly Business on the trans Atlantic sector).

 

[MooTime]

This seems really strange to me, and I understand yield, through availability etc but to me this is beyond that as it *never* shows.

When searching for reward seats with United on the Velocity engine, whenever I search United flights within the USA or to Europe it only ever gives me itineraries with minimum one stop. I'm looking to fly SYD - SFO - NYC - LON and understand that any time I want a stop over I would need to search for a separate flight to use VA points. The routes I'm after all come up etc, but if I search:
SYD - SFO I get direct
SYD - EWR I get one stop via SFO as an option
SFO - EWR I get one stop via IAH or LAX mostly
SFO - LHR I get one stop via EWR as an option , I don't get direct options
EWR - LHR I only get options via LAX, SFO, IAH etc

Has anyone had any luck, or does anybody know if there are bookable by phoning Velocity?

Also, does anybody know an accurate way of gauging VS award availability, as I know they're a good option (and could then possibly fly Business on the trans Atlantic sector).

A friend recently snagged 2 reward seats MEL-SFO-Rome.

Not London so not sure if it helps.
Direct from USA but not to LHR.

 

[Abbaskip]

A friend recently snagged 2 reward seats MEL-SFO-Rome.

Not London so not sure if it helps.
Direct from USA but not to LHR.

You can get direct if you search through from AU. It's only the domestic US or Trans Atlantic legs that don't allow you to search direct.

Eg. If you friend searched MEL - SFO, booked that, then SFO - FCO, it would route the second sector via somewhere.

 

[MELso]

I've found that too. I have IAD-AMS booked through Lifemiles but searching on VA only ever brought up IAD-EWR-AMS or similar routing. This was despite UA's site showing X9 on the day I wanted to fly.

As I was wanting to burn off my Lifemiles, I didn't follow up, but it was weird...

(EDIT - no issue with internal US flights though - only TATL)

 

[Phoenix-1]

You can get direct if you search through from AU. It's only the domestic US or Trans Atlantic legs that don't allow you to search direct.

Eg. If you friend searched MEL - SFO, booked that, then SFO - FCO, it would route the second sector via somewhere.

You definitely could search SFO-FCO or SFO-LHR and find reward seats. Seems like that's now stopped.

 

[Abbaskip]

I've found that too. I have IAD-AMS booked through Lifemiles but searching on VA only ever brought up IAD-EWR-AMS or similar routing. This was despite UA's site showing X9 on the day I wanted to fly.

As I was wanting to burn off my Lifemiles, I didn't follow up, but it was weird...

(EDIT - no issue with internal US flights though - only TATL)

I'm going to call them and ask if it's possible. It's so strange that the flights appear from anywhere in the US to basically anywhere in EU if they go via somewhere in the US - but never show direct. Even the flights that show in the via options won't show direct.

Frustrating as I want to do either:
SYD SFO
SFO LON

or

SYD SFO NYC
NYC LON