A few thank you's are in order.
I already mentioned Randy's travel agency, which actually knows how to issue tickets on VT (something that is apparently not as easy as it might seem, and believe it or not you can't even buy tickets on the airline's website, though you can email them with a purchase request and I understand they probably respond in a few days).
Bora Bora Nui would likely not have been on my radar if it wasn't mentioned on Flyertalk for its error rate shortly after opening. And FlyLots' trip report is what inspired me to go (TK-421's report about a month before I booked reinforced the decision, especially his incredible photos).
But the real thank you goes to Flyertalk itself, because
- I never would have had the AA miles for our flight award without Flyertalk. I've credited only 1 flight to my AA account since 1998, and that was just an Eagle flight FAT-LAX which was booked as a NW codeshare, so I couldn't credit it to my then-CO Platinum account. Still I've managed 600k AA miles in the last couple of years, not the least of which because of BankDirect, meetingsplanning.net, 20/20, etc.
- I first had the value proposition of the SPG Amex explained to me here on FT. I certainly couldn't have garnered the 176k SPG points necessary for the award at BBN and on top of it I used SPG points for the Westins in Sydney, Melbourne, and Seattle, the Sheraton on Tahiti, and I used points for Cash & Points awards for family at the W Seattle and Sheraton Tahiti.
- Mrs. gleff wouldn't be an AS MVP Gold if I hadn't pushed her towards AS, something I wouldn't have done but for FT (their upgrades on Q fares at booking being the tipping point, though it's not as great as their old upgrade program). And that status sure helped us on our domestic legs, we booked her ticket as a Q fare and we booked mine with a BofA companion cert...
- And I wouldn't have been an Intercontinental Ambassador without the DL promo last summer, which I learned of here. That was nice on Tahiti and in Sydney. And I wouldn't have had the points for the awards without those 5k certificates that came with my membership pack, with mrs. gleff's membership pack, and then I traded for more 5k certificates when I got more free night certificates by requesting additional luggage tags... and I wouldn't have known that the Intercontinental Sydney award was available at 20% off in June...
What's more, even after spending all these points, I still have a healthy 7 figure balance.
THANK YOU FLYERTALK