Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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The only time I know where it tends to work - namely cancelling an existing reservation to create space for someone else - is when the cancellation is very soon after initial booking. So it's quite common for Avios bookings to be cancelled or moved within the first 24 hours (loads of scenarios, but a lot connected with "what if" bookings, unable to get time off work, mistakes, making several bookings at -355 days just in case, GGL 72 hour holds expiring) then these do tend to come back. If it's a lightly loaded service by historical trends and some way to departure then that can also create space. But generally, it doesn't happen - and in any case you sometimes need to roll over a midnight calculation period to generate the new redemption options.