Which route/airline did you book and which class?
LH, First/O, FRA > ORD 1-way (see "booking procedure" section for details/update)
How many pax and how many award miles?
2 pax, 230k miles +262.18 EUR
How many days/weeks/months did you book in advance?
10 months in advance (mid-September 2023)
Have you been able to book your preferred dates of travel?
Yes
Were you happy with the award booking procedure (e.g. online/by phone)?
Yes, in retrospect. I was a bit bummed to only be able to find FRA>MUC>ORD in combo Business/First and on an A340-600, after working for over 2 years to build up a pile of M&M miles through Barclays card SUBs for my wife and I, and paying our mortgage/car/other bills through Plastiq using those cards. Then LH cancels and rebooks us on a 7:15am departure for the same flight path, but fully business class, and nothing about refunding any miles! So I called in, and the agent was able to move us to the direct flight FRA > ORD, 10:45am, on the 747-8. And the new tickets were issued as full (F)!
How often did you have to check/call until you got the seats?
I had been researching online/checking availability as I was planning the trip specifics, was a bit iterative as there were some "goals" involved that didn't necessarily carry a specific date (including Oktoberfest). This is the return flight, and 1st in the 747 + FCT has been on the bucket list for a while. BOS > CDG on the A339 in DeltaOne Suites is the departure side, which isn't too shabby, either!