Gleff - I agree with you - as I stated above I haven't had problems redeeming AA or UA miles, but clearly YMMV judging from some of the complaints in those forums. And there is no question that award seats to Hawaii during peak periods (school vacations) get zeroed out faster than you can hit the return key. As for CO - those are exactly the people that need assistance, since it appears impossible to book saver awards on CO.
Originally Posted by beaubo
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.
Probably sound advice. Alas the "chicken game" doesn't work for most of us working stiffs who need to request vacation time well in advance of travel dates and can't afford to pay unrestricted coach rates if the award seats fail to materialize. So we are faced with some unpalatable alternatives:
(1) Book 11 months in advance, and hope that a hurricane or office emergency doesn't wipe out your plans. Works well if you are an advance planner, can do it, as mileage awards can usually be re-deposited for a relatively small fee.
(2) Wait until you see a great discount fare to your destination (usually 2-6 months out, but sometimes longer for winter season), then snap it up. Often my preferred option, as it is relatively easy to discern seasonal fare patterns. However, this approach is problematic if you want to upgrade using miles as C/F award inventory to popular destinations tends to disappear quickly. Also problematic if your relationship dissolves and you end up with non-transferable non-refundable tix. Perhaps this is where awardplanner's expertise is useful - if they can help pick the right flights to upgrade.
(3) Book your trip 2-4 months out (which is the timeframe I prefer to schedule my vacations, particularly for ski resorts where conditions are unpredictable). At this point you are rolling the dice for award seats to popular destinations, particularly on peak travel days.
(4) Wait until last minute, quit your job, and burn your miles for that dream trip that you've always wanted to take. Of course, you never really know if inventory will open (particularly in the summer or holiday periods) but no worries - you'll be able to use your miles to go somewhere.
Of these alternatives, I usually end up going with #2 or #3, which is why I have good balances in several programs. But facing inevitable devaluation, I am starting to go with option #1 to zero out my accounts. The horror! The horror!