There is an airline that does have the if there is a seat on the plane you can use an award for it. It is Southwest. Aside from a few blackout days you can pretty much always get a seat, even if it is only a few days out.

I think their program is exceptionally generous, and doubt the other airlines would match their policies. However at a minimum the airlines could at least set aside their deep discount tickets to be available for either purchase or for miles. For example on Delta, if you see a flight you want to take is available in their L class, you should be able to use your award ticket for it.

Perhaps if the airlines didn't have so many fare types and simplified it more like Southwest they would be in a better position to honor their award tickets. I don't expect 122 award tickets to be available on a 122 seat plane, but there should be availability. If they are offering say 20 deep deep discount tickets that inventory of 20 should be available for award redemption, or for purchase. That would be a more ethical way to do business. Unfortunately many of the airlines have been so poorly run they have forgotten to take care of their customers, and are off cutting fares so they can't make any money which makes their situation worse. I don't think a plan of offering fares that range between $199-$1048 for the same one way ticket is the right way to do business. They have backed themselves into a wall, and gave out millions of free tickets and now don't want to honor the tickets because they are desperate to collect $158 for a ticket that they should be giving to people who have spent thousands to get the free ticket.

For the most part it is just a poorly run industry who does know how to pass blame to everyone else, but can't run a business. Every business has circumstances beyond their control that can cause earning problems, but the airline industry is the only one that constantly complains that they would make a profit if only a)fuel prices would go down b)unions would cooperate with cost cuttings or c)the economy would pick up. They just rotate the excuse like a child who forgot to do their homework. When one problems clears up they blame it on the other.

It may be too late but if they ever admit their business model is flawed, and the world they are living under has changed since the day of regulation, they have a chance for survival.

And getting back to the topic, maybe if they took care of their customers they would have some loyalty and could ask for a small premium for their service.