This benefits you because you can sometimes get better airline award redemptions by booking the flight you want through the partners.
Confusing? Let me help.
I’ll give you an example from yesterday.
I was in the process of booking our flights to go skiing “free” again this Christmas on points.
The best airline to fly to this particular ski resort is American Airlines.
The problem is that their point redemptions are often not the best.
The good news is that American Airlines is in the same airline alliance as British Airways.
I looked up the flights on British Airways, and although British Airways doesn’t fly there, they showed me the same American flights (since they show partner award space) for a much better rate.
So instead of booking an American flight directly through American Airlines, I can book the same American flight through British Airways for fewer points.
Pretty cool, right?
Next time you go on a trip, check the partner airlines to see if you can book through a partner at an even better rate than you can the main airline you’re trying to fly.