Optimal timing of award ticket redemption?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: PC Plat RA, SPG Gold, AS MVPG
Posts: 811
Optimal timing of award ticket redemption?
I'm trying to book a AS award ticket SEA to LAX... relatively frequently flights, short distance.
I'm looking at May of 2013, and the dates literally opened last week..
and already some of the departure times are on Full Fare?! What happened to the saver tickets?
I'm not pretty new to redeeming AS... so question: Will these have a potential to drop in point price later? (i.e. it's costing me 25K each way.. any potential to drop to 25K return)?
Thanks!
I'm looking at May of 2013, and the dates literally opened last week..
and already some of the departure times are on Full Fare?! What happened to the saver tickets?
I'm not pretty new to redeeming AS... so question: Will these have a potential to drop in point price later? (i.e. it's costing me 25K each way.. any potential to drop to 25K return)?
Thanks!
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
I'm trying to book a AS award ticket SEA to LAX... relatively frequently flights, short distance.
I'm looking at May of 2013, and the dates literally opened last week..
and already some of the departure times are on Full Fare?! What happened to the saver tickets?
I'm not pretty new to redeeming AS... so question: Will these have a potential to drop in point price later? (i.e. it's costing me 25K each way.. any potential to drop to 25K return)?
Thanks!
I'm looking at May of 2013, and the dates literally opened last week..
and already some of the departure times are on Full Fare?! What happened to the saver tickets?
I'm not pretty new to redeeming AS... so question: Will these have a potential to drop in point price later? (i.e. it's costing me 25K each way.. any potential to drop to 25K return)?
Thanks!
I've set alerts for W space on ExpertFlyer (http://www.expertflyer.com) and had space open up anywhere from months out to just a few days out (and sometimes even just a few hours out).
If you're MVPG, you can book at the Full Flex level and change to Saver if they open it up later for free. If you're not MVPG, I doubt you'd be able to do that (although you could try to hold AS to its airfare guarantee, where they credit you the difference if the price drops! ).
#3
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Anchorage, AK
Programs: Lifetime AS 1MM & MVPG, AS MVPG100K, AA, DL, HH-G
Posts: 8,259
I'm trying to book a AS award ticket SEA to LAX... relatively frequently flights, short distance.
I'm looking at May of 2013, and the dates literally opened last week..
and already some of the departure times are on Full Fare?! What happened to the saver tickets?
I'm not pretty new to redeeming AS... so question: Will these have a potential to drop in point price later? (i.e. it's costing me 25K each way.. any potential to drop to 25K return)?
Thanks!
I'm looking at May of 2013, and the dates literally opened last week..
and already some of the departure times are on Full Fare?! What happened to the saver tickets?
I'm not pretty new to redeeming AS... so question: Will these have a potential to drop in point price later? (i.e. it's costing me 25K each way.. any potential to drop to 25K return)?
Thanks!
Revenue management is reaching to the extreme end.
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,386
Is there a particular reason you aren't willing to pay cash for these tickets? More miles than what you know what to do with? No way to scrounge up a couple hundred in cash for the next year?
My SEA-LAX ticket, purchased all of a week ago cost me $118.80 all-in (July peak travel season on a Friday, BTW). So it's not like these tickets are dear to come by. The prices might not be good right now because Virgin America doesn't do fares 330 days out. Once they do AS will make the fares drop accordingly.
IMO SEA-LAX r/t is a spectacularly poor way to spend your miles in terms of the return you get (probably less than a penny a mile)- the route is extremely competitive with Virgin and United flying it (plus Jet Blue on SEA-LGB, and a ton of WN/DL/UA one-stops, AND Alaska flying to LGB/BUR/ONT/SNA). Lots of seats, very little pricing power. I can't recall the last time I paid as much as $200 for a one-way.
But anyways, if you must... cash in your ticket for a flight on the day you want to fly, even if it's not the right time. Then day of flight, spend $25 (free if you're Gold) and same day change to the flight time you want. You're done.
My SEA-LAX ticket, purchased all of a week ago cost me $118.80 all-in (July peak travel season on a Friday, BTW). So it's not like these tickets are dear to come by. The prices might not be good right now because Virgin America doesn't do fares 330 days out. Once they do AS will make the fares drop accordingly.
IMO SEA-LAX r/t is a spectacularly poor way to spend your miles in terms of the return you get (probably less than a penny a mile)- the route is extremely competitive with Virgin and United flying it (plus Jet Blue on SEA-LGB, and a ton of WN/DL/UA one-stops, AND Alaska flying to LGB/BUR/ONT/SNA). Lots of seats, very little pricing power. I can't recall the last time I paid as much as $200 for a one-way.
But anyways, if you must... cash in your ticket for a flight on the day you want to fly, even if it's not the right time. Then day of flight, spend $25 (free if you're Gold) and same day change to the flight time you want. You're done.
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Jul 11, 2012 at 4:23 pm