Originally Posted by
LovePrunes
shopping in June for July international flights is going to be EXPENSIVE. That's more about it being last minute during peak vacation travel time that already booked up long ago than it is something that AA did to lose value for their miles.
Have to plan earlier than you used to, if that's what you did previously when you got cheaper redemption rates. Been shopping for domestic summer trips and they're all crazy high all over the US for July and August when I shop now, but if I look for September after Labor Day, they come back down to usual affordable rates for miles.
Good luck!
We've always traveled all year round, and even during peak seasons, we could always find one or two flights in the immediate timeframe (a day to a week or so) that appeared at the base rates. That never seems to be the case now for LAX/SNA-NYC, BOS, RIO, etc.
Even searching today for after Labor Day, they are about 2x or higher…