DL waives blackout dates for its Medallion level members. Dunno if the other carriers give their elite fliers that privilege as well, but it's another option... If you have a carrier you're flying a lot on, you could pursue some cheap mileage runs (see examples posted copiously on the site) on that airline to attain elite status and get around the blackout date. Capacity controls are another matter entirely. Even the highest-tier elite fliers are subject to those.

[This message has been edited by Spiff (edited 07-16-2000).]