I'm trying to book a flight to travel between two European cities, but it seems I can't do it on American Airlines. How can I book a flight that's not originating or ending in the United States?

When trying to reserve a flight for a journey between two European cities and encountering limitations when dealing with American Airlines, it's crucial to recognize that U.S. airlines typically prioritize flights that either commence or conclude within the United States. Travel between two European cities is essentially categorized as domestic travel within Europe. Similarly, if you were attempting to book a domestic flight within the United States, you would not generally look to a European airline for such bookings.

To address this particular situation, it's common for airlines belonging to the same alliance to establish code-sharing arrangements. In this context, you have the option to consider booking your flight through a partner airline, such as British Airways or Iberia, both of which are affiliated with the same alliance as American Airlines.

For individuals interested in accruing frequent flyer miles with American Airlines while traveling on flights operated by partner airlines, the procedure is uncomplicated. You simply need to provide your American Airlines frequent flyer number when making your reservation, and you will continue to accumulate miles, even when journeying with airline partners.

By taking into account code-sharing agreements and leveraging the cooperative networks of airline alliances, you can broaden your choices when reserving flights between two European cities and still reap the advantages offered by your frequent flyer program.