Originally Posted by
pds_SFO
I think there's a pretty good correlation between VS Flying Club award inventory and what is available to partners. At least it's a good starting point to eliminate any dates/cabins that VS isn't offering to their own members.
This varies - on long haul OneWorld to Europe, for instance, usually if BA shows availability so will AA. Fairly reliable. Not so much for short haul flights, funnily enough.
VS doesn't quite do the same, so this is about as good as it's going to get. You can use it to at least eliminate dates you should look for. They are on a 330 calendar, so you need to call mid-June for early May trips. I'm not sure if VX will let you do a one way redemption, if so call the day that the outbound opens up and grab a seat if you can, then call when the return date opens.
Good luck! I'm on VS to LHR for the first time in 6 years this Sunday, actually looking forward to trying it again.