United offers weekly 'e-fares', usually deeply discounted fares that require travel within a short window and with a little advance notice, presumably on routings that have plenty of excess supply.

A logical and beneficial extension of 'e-fares' should be 'e-awards', the ability to redeem discounted awards (25-50% off) on targeted routes with excess seat inventory.

KLM's FFP and now its merged KLM/AF FFP offer 'Web Awards', whereby for a30-90 day window, certain routes allow award redemption for 50% in both Coach and Business cabins in many instances.

So, the precedent exists. Is it time for the US FFPs to emulate this customer-friendly strategy that doesn't hurt the FFPs or airlines bottom line?