Originally Posted by
AKLifetimeFlyer
Snarky Answer: Yes, reasonable business awards are a thing of the past, no reason to keep looking (more for me!)
Real Answer: This question is asked so frequently it should be a Sticky thread at this point. I'll repeat my typical answer. If you are flexible with your dates, departure cities, and destinations, finding reasonable J or F awards is not that hard. The trick is to look when you actually don't need to travel anywhere. This regular research can provide insight to availability trends. To me at least, it seems that availability comes in waves. Like others have said, the current availability wave is DE, and if you don't mind splurging, QR. My last international trip 11 months ago I was able to find four RT J tickets on EI from an east coast city to DUB for 90k miles RT per ticket. That's what I call "reasonable".
OK, I have to say I am really annoyed at some of these responses. I have been traveling to Europe in J award flights regularly for years. I know about flexibility, I know about positioning to gateways, I know about low season travel. IN THE PAST that all worked well. This is not about how successful you USED TO BE. I don't travel at peak times, and I have had to position to gateways many, many times; but I also am not going to Berlin in February and if I have to pay for positioning flights at both ends of a trip on separate itinerary's (think checked luggage hassle with multiple itinerary's) luggage then again the value proposition has changed. And again I think many of you under estimate the huge phantom inventory problem that so many people here have said they are having. At the current average redemption level right now you are looking at a million miles for two people RT to Europe, is that reasonable?