lessons-learned

# Lessons Learned Hard-won knowledge from actual searches. Reference these before making the same mistakes. ## Seats.aero: Search ALL Sources, Show ALL Results When searching Seats.aero, **NEVER filter by source on the initial search.** Always pull ALL programs first. ### The Mandatory Workflow For any route: 1. **Search Seats.aero with NO source filter.** Pull ALL programs. Show full results sorted by cheapest. 2. **For EVERY program in results, trace the full reachability chain:** a. Direct balance? (Check AwardWallet if connected) b. Transfer path? (Check `data/transfer-partners.json` for EVERY currency: Amex MR, Chase UR, Bilt, Capital One) c. Alliance chain? Identify the operating airline's alliance (`data/alliances.json`), then find ALL programs in that alliance or with bilateral partnerships (`data/partner-awards.json`), then check which of THOSE programs are reachable via transfer. d. Cross-alliance? Check `data/partner-awards.json` `cross_alliance_highlights` and bilateral partners. 3. **For reachable programs with NO cached Seats.aero data,** check the program's website directly (airfrance.com, united.com, etc.) 4. **Present the COMPLETE picture:** every option, reachable or not, with the transfer chain spelled out. 5. **Only THEN compare award vs cash.** ### Common Failure Mode Seeing an airline in results, checking one or two obvious programs, declaring awards "unreachable" or "bad value," and recommending cash. You MUST trace every possible ch...