US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Where have YOU booked INTL AWARD TRAVEL in the past week or so?

I am curious about YOUR luck in international award redeption. I seem to strike out at every turn these days. I think I am wildly flexible about both dates and destinations, but even at the 331 day mark, I come up empty handed.

Yes, I can get to LYH or MCI with no troubles, but I don't want to go there!!! At this point, I'd love to hear from others who have very recently booked AWARD travel using US miles on *A carriers -- particularly to Europe and Hawaiian destinations -- in any class of service.

I'm just wondering what others are finding.

I just booked MIA-FRA-GVA (Geneva Switzerland) on LH, returning MUC-CLT on LH and CLT-MIA on US - all in First. I am flying midweek, though. Couldn't get anything from FRA-MIA all month of October, and they discontinued the MUC-MIA route.

I've recently booked PHL-IST for November in LH FC and PHL-FCO in LH FC for three weeks from now. Didn't have to change my desired dates or locations or times for either trip.

I realize it's not Europe, but it IS supposed to be a tough destination for First Class, so:

August 18 US PIT-IAD, ANA FC IAD-NRT; September 2 ANA FC NRT-IAD US IAD-PIT

My target dates had been August 19th outbound and anywhere from September 2-4 returning. I WANTED the ANA FC out of JFK, although no *A carrier goes from PIT-JFK directly, but the only availability we could find was on August 23rd for the outbound -- too late for the tour I'm going on. So while I'm on ANA in First Class, it's NOT one of the New-Style Suites :( Oh well...

Note that I already had this ticketed back in October for September 2 - September 16, I "just" moved the dates. Shouldn't have had a positive-for-me impact on availability, though.

It's not in the past week, but about a month ago I booked a biz class ticket to Tel Aviv for November on Air Canada. Got the dates I wanted on the first try.

Can't seem to ever reach anyone live when I call the international number for award travel.

I have a ticket that is PHL-ORD-EZE then EZE-GIG, and back GIG-GRU-ORD-PHL with my miles, i called and changed the date this week once, and today another time, as i try to get the best dates.

They have been nice to me, but agreed the hold time is there.

I recently booked

IAD-JFK-BKK on 9/13 (UA and Thai)
SIN-NRT-AD on 9/26 (SQ and NH)

Two weeks ago, I booked (2) business class cvg-ord-lax-mel on united for next january (called on 330 day out limit).
Called 10 days later for the return (they held the one way reservation until the return legs opened up) but there was nothing but coach on UA from sydney. The only availability in business on any partner was on Asiana thru Seoul to lax then usair to chl and cvg, which I took, even though it added 7 hours flying. I did not want to spend the mileage and then sit 14 hours in coach.
Every time I called the intl. award phone number, I usually got a call back later message. When I did finally get through, the reservation folks were generally helpful, but I spent 65 minutes on hold (the recording said to expect 21 minutes) to finalize ticketing. Getting near the midnight deadline on hold made me a bit paranoid about losing the whole itinerary, so while still holding, I called the domestic reservation number on my cell, followed the prompts for intl, and was connected immediately. The agent was surprised that I had been on hold so long on the other number, but said "We are very busy". She handled the award ticket just fine. Persistence and flexibility seems to be the rule.

Just before they got their second wind/reprieve from the Feds in January, I booked several trips to CDG from ORF, an 80K reward. Due to work issues, I booked, cancelled, and rebooked three times, but was able to do so all three times.

First was via Vienna on Austrian, second attempt right to Paris on UA (but in 1st, and I didn't want to drop the 100K miles, esp since return was in Envoy on US), and finally in Business on UA from IAD to CDG, and back through PHL on US.

So, three for three, no problem.

I was able to get 3 award tickets in May from PIT to TPE in business on UA. I may have just lucked out on the new route from SFO-NGO. I was also able to get an award ticket in business from YYZ to TPE via LA on AC and then SQ.

I didn't get my first choice in dates but they were within +2 days of when I wanted to travel.

The projected hold times have been anywhere from 5 minutes (and they've been close to that) to 3 hours (didn't wait for that).

What is mildly annoying is that I'm having problems with US inventory from SFO back to PIT. I've been told there is no one I can ask for special dispensation and I just need to periodically call back. That seems kinda wasteful...