Originally Posted by
BPCGuy
If you have enough miles, I'd recommend making a reward booking. The date and routing can be changed for free at any time. So pick a date that is available and might work, but then keep searching or set an EF alert for availability on other dates.
This might be a case where it would pay to buy the miles in order to get the flexibility even though thr trips would require award space to be available. The five day hold allows for booking first and buying afterwards.