One of the best things about United miles is that you can use them on Star Alliance partners. United’s award space isn’t great on its own flights (though better than American’s). But with myriad partners you can almost always get where you’re going in Europe or Asia.
I do not know whether this is a glitch, a temporary phenomenon, or a new revenue management philosophy but searching for partner award space there’s almost nothing available in Lufthansa business class across the Atlantic after February 7 .. and it’s become much harder to get before that, too.