Originally Posted by
ehallison
In the past we have used last-minute flight awards to attend funerals. With the current blackout of economy Saaver fares for 14 days out, this has become much less attractive. Although I guess you're right; even at 40000 miles for a r/t anytime award (instead of the old 25k which we could frequently find) it's still cheaper than a last-minute walkup fare.
I hate that 40k is the new 25k.
It was Christmas time, so 12.5k out on the 19th, but some crazy 25k or 30k one-way on the 25th. Otherwise the 25k (or less with web specials) is still the norm if you find the availability.
I had not heard about the blackout on 14days but I've also since lost my AA Gold status which would mean spending $100 on last minute booking fees.