Originally Posted by danielbear
Please pardon me if this post is in the incorrect forum.
I'm looking to use FF miles to fly Kauai to LHR and return, with stopover on return in LAX; departing next August 31 and returning to LAX on Sept. 27 but not returning to Kauai until Dec 15.
I could fly AA or United, and prefer business class. How can I ensure a business seat? The dilemma is that I can 't book the full ticket until 330 days from the return, and so that leaves many months for other flyers to book the outbound flight, and the popular lhr-lax return flight. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Daniel
Welcome to FlyerTalk. About six months ago I was contemplating the same problem with regard to a planned trip to SYD during its peak travel season. My solution was to use Marriott Rewards points to obtain USAirways Dividend Miles, and then go through USAirways to book flights on United. USAirways permits you to book your outbound flight 330 days in advance, whereas United (as you pointed out) requires you to book your entire trip at the same time, in effect making you wait until you are within 330 days of the return date. You might want to consider this option if you have enough USAirways miles or can obtain them before it is time to book your trip.