I followed the suggestion in some other posts and actually READ the stickies on how to get a Sky Saver ticket to Europe, and got four tickets to Italy for my family next April. Essentially Europe is wide open next Spring for coach tickets so long as you fly any Skyteam partner but Delta.

I wish I could have seen the look on the Delta reservation clerk's face. I think she was fairly new, and after she put me on hold for a minute she came back almost breathless. "I can't believe it Mr. Rebelyell, all of your flights were available. I was getting ready to explain to you that you can't just pick your flights like that!"

Thanks to many of you for your help, and to the author of the stickies that many of us haven't bothered to read!

One tip that has been made before but is worth making again. If you can just get to Paris or Amsterdam, you can get anywhere in Europe. Do your search with these cities as your final destination (depending on which airline you wish to fly or where you want to go). Then check for flights to your final European destination. Right now the only availability problem is with the U.S., not Europe, so you won't have any problem getting anywhere. Another reason to just check to AMS or CDG is that once you start getting three-legged flights into the picture you will get too many to list, and you won't be able to see all the flights when doing the award searches.

Good luck and read the stickies!