Originally Posted by Beckles

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like booking so far in advance is not a good idea unless you absolutely want a specific airline and can get the airline you want for sure in advance, if you had waited until say early December they would have likely been buying you a full Y-fare or darn close, making it much easier to upgrade the trip if you wanted to and earning you more status miles for the higher fare on some airlines.