Boraxo-

I think in today's award redemption environment, persistence and date flexibility are far more important than being the proverbial early bird.

In fact, in many instances, I am finding that FFPs (or is it inventory management from the airline itself) release award seats, often in First and Business, as well as the expected Coach, 2-5 days prior to my desired dates of travel.

If you are willing to play 'chicken' with the FFPs and wait until the bitter end before your trip, you'll quite likely be successful. Especially, if you call up the airline about a week before your desired travel date and itinerary, and ask if you could PURCHASE 9 seats in Business Class. If they say 'Yes', thats a pretty strong (though not foolproof) indication that Business Class has enough unsold seats to warrant releasing award inventory.