I'd like to go MCI-FCO in WBC (just waiting for the final needed miles to post); for myself it could be in summer or shoulder season, but I was thinking I would talk it over with family members during the year-end holidays to see when any of them could go, so I'd try to make it the same time. I'm doing some preliminary online searching, even though it's well before I want to book: it's hard to find anything to Italy or even just to AMS if I want to find my own arrangements from there. As for other NW destinations in Europe, I might find CDG available one day a month, and relatively good availability to LGW. So I'm starting to think in terms of going to LGW (even though it would be my third choice of gateway) and making my own arrangements from there to Italy.

So I'm mentioning the LGW possibility to others here (and hoping it doesn't kill my chances of snagging a trip) and asking if I should resign myself to that, or do people think other possibilities to FCO will open up. In particular if NW joins Skyteam, when would awards on AF or AZ become available? Is there much chance now of award travel being available on DL flights when there's nothing on NW/KL? I like seeing availability online; I presume for DL I'd need to phone and I don't like having to make decisions on the phone.