Adelphos

I'm somewhat unfamiliar with SkyMiles redemptions, especially internationally. My SO and I like to fly to Europe from NYC in J and have flown AF, AA, BA and Lufthansa to do this in recent years. I am pretty good with redeeming FlyingBlue miles for J flights (earned via credit card spend), but Skymiles seems hit or miss at best, with limited availability, 180,000 miles each way, etc. I am switching most of my domestic flying to Delta, so I will be accumulating more Skymiles and would like to earn MQM if I buy Skyteam tickets. I guess my questions are

1) When is the best time to look for NYC to Europe mileage redemptions? Does Delta lower mileage costs for European redemptions close in?
2) How often do Delta, KLM, Virgin and Air France run business class sales from NYC to Europe? I see some decent KLM winter sales to Madrid now, but I would like a better sense of how often those happen.
3) Does Delta allow you to buy up to J on international flights after you purchase a ticket (the same way they do for domestic flights)>
4) What is Delta's upgrade policy for international flights? Are there global upgrades certificates? Is the most effective way to fly J to Europe to get these global upgrades?
5) Do Delta international flights often go out with empty seats in J?

Thanks. I'm just trying to find out the best and most cost effective strategy to fly to Europe in flat seats two or three times a year as a Delta elite. If it is easier to simply buy international J and use my Skymiles for domestic awards and/or Pay with Miles, I can live with that, I just would like to know the options.

xliioper

Delta not does provide complimentary upgrades to Medallions on long-haul international, so yes seats will go out empty. VS offers bid for upgrade and buy-up's. DL does not offer bid for upgrades and generally does not offer buy-up's to J. You might get lucky and see one at check-in, but I wouldn't count on it. No, Delta does not release close-in availability and the cheapest J awards (86K) have a 90-day advance purchase requirement. You are likely only seeing 180K award because you are searching too close-in. VS flights have two award levels for J with the cheaper awards (75K) requiring a 21-day advance purchase.

Adelphos

Thanks. I also see Delta only offers Global certificates at the Diamond Level, which I am unlikely to attain in the near future.

So basically, if I want to fly J to Europe with Delta, I'm going to have to book 90+ days out with miles or just buy tickets, right?

3Cforme

Or spend a lot of miles. There are multiple Business class redemption levels that don't demand a 90-day advance purchase.

xliioper

Or look for DL awards on VS operated flights which are cheaper at 75K and only require a 21-day advance purchase.