Originally Posted by
Phoenixtinct
I'm not sure there is a need for this thread. You answer your own question in the short post - milesaver awards are available but for connecting flights with huge layovers. Summer season is busy season, so why would AA give away seats on non-stop flights so far in advance when it can probably sell them? I would pick a connecting itinerary and keep checking until a seat on the non-stop becomes available and then you can change free of charge (if you're an elite). Thus, to answer your rhetorical question - NO, milesaver awards have NOT become a thing of the past.
If your reasoning is that airlines shouldn't give away seats that they can sell, then they shouldn't give away ANY award seats, which of course would mean the end of frequent flier programs. If airlines didn't think frequent flier programs helped get them more business, they would do exactly that, now wouldn't they? Clearly, there's a benefit to the airlines from these programs, which have value to customers only if they are likely to be able to use miles to obtain free seats on the flights they desire. It's definitely a balancing act for the airlines to give you just enough to make you want the miles, but no so much that it cuts into paid ticket sales.