US Airways Dividend Miles - Strategies for snagging a free ticket to Hawaii

My family and I are planning on flying to Hawaii in April 2012. What strategies should I use to snag at least one, if not two, free tickets with my 130,000+ Dividend Miles?

How far in advance should I start looking to make the reservations?

Any other helpful tips on obtaining these most coveted reward tickets?

Thanks in advance!

April 2012 awards are starting to become available now- so I'd start looking in the next few days when your dates are set. You should find some 65,000 mile coach awards.

Scour this site and learn to use the ANA tool to get tickets through *A on United. My family of 4 went to Maui/Big Island that way last year. We booked about 8 months in advance. Flights on US with US miles or United with United miles weren't available

Also get the expertflyer subscription 9.99 a month for premium.
That gets you United inventory and can really help search a week at a time both ways in 1 minute, for all classes.

The free way.
https://www.ana.co.jp/asw/wws/us/e/
Get an ANA account
First search for a reward in Japan on ANA
then change tp *A flights
Then change to what you want - yo can search 8 sectors (or 8 days at a time)