Originally Posted by eddieras

I just signed up for EF monthly premium. I am trying to use AA miles for family of four, from Chicago to Rome at Christmas. I've been reading the manual and threads on EF and want to be sure i'm using it correctly. Right now i have on hold an AA itinerary (held till May 19) the exact routing i want (ORD-PHL-FCO and same on reverse) but not the right dates. It's all AA metal too so my taxes are only $295. The itinerary on hold departs ORD 12/17 and returns from FCO (both via PHL) on 12/25. I prefer 12/25 or 26 departure and 1/4 or 5 return. I set up EF to look for the following:
4 coach on PHL-FCO on 12/25 and 12/26 ( i figure ORD-PHL would be easier to nab)
2 coach and 2 biz on PHL-FCO on 12/25 and 12/26
4 Coach return on 1/4 and 1/5

My wife and I would prefer the biz on the outbound PHL-FCO and kids can go coach.

My questions: does the way i set up the alerts as above make sense? Does my split of 2 biz and 2 coach make it more difficult for me? I'm worried that if only 2 of either class become available for the 25th or 26th, i run the risk of us being separated- eg EF finds two biz on the 25th but no coach. Should this be a concern? Any other advice? thanks so much!!