Blackout Dates?
 

I am trying to get a return flight from LON-YOW/YUL using my miles over Xmas and New Year. Not surprising, there isnt mileaver economy available over this time. I have a citibank AAdvantge credit card and notice it states I can book blackout periods. What does that mean as such? Does that mean that over Xmas I would be able to book economy for these dates?

Thanks in advance

I'm not sure of the details of the card rules you're talking about, but I believe that what you're experiencing is a lack of availability having nothing to do with blackouts. I don't believe that AA awards have explicit blackout dates, just inventory limits for MileSAAver. Have you tried to booked economy AAnytime awards for those dates?

Cheers.

Blackouts are those periods no seats are available; if the available seats have been taken already, that is not a blackout period.

These are, as you are seeing, very high demand (and probably lower availability assigned from Revenue Management systems) and available 330 days out makes it even less likely to find scarce seats now - but look at all the various connections and permutations, and keep looking - RM will add / pull seats, and passengers holding seats may cancel (not to say RM will release these back into inventory, as it may not happen.) As the projected travel dates get closer, RM may add award seat availability (assuming sales are not as expected.)

And as brp says, try AAnytime, albeit they are certainly not the best deals around.

Thanks guys for the clarification, it sounds right ^

First is only 2.5k miles more than economy anytime so may be worth a punt on that :p