Companion Certificates Nearly Impossible To Use In 2022?
 

I'm just finishing one trip on an Amex Platinum Companion Certificate and have another coming up on which I'm hoping to use another (in an effort to burn the Certificates still left/extended from COVID). The only days I could find for CMH-ATL-DAB and back in May were 5/3-5/19 and, admittedly, the next one is relatively short notice (having a roof installed on a house sometime in June), but is anyone else noticing extreme difficulty in finding days where certificate-eligible fares are available? It seems like every day pairing I've searched for both trips gets met with "Oops! We're sorry...".

I'm assuming it's some combination of "everybody wants to travel" emptying out the fare buckets mixed in with a dose of "the airlines are trying to get every penny they lost during COVID back"?

We've tried to use companion certificates five times in 2022. There was availability on our first choice flights four of the five times (DCA-DTW, DCA-ATL, DCA-MSP, and DCA-LGA). Only time there wasn't was for DCA-DTW-GRR where there was no availability in the right fare classes for the return.

It would be helpful to know routes and dates. Other threads have noted that fares are exceptionally high this summer and many flights are simply going to lack availability in required L/U/T/X/V fare classes for certs. Airlines do not set aside a fixed number of seats for sale in each fare bucket. During higher demand periods, they may never allocate any bucket inventory in these class even for flights that are far out and have few or no seats currently sold on them.

If you do a search without a cert selected for 2 passengers and are finding flights with availability in L/U/X/T/V fare classes, you might be able to call and have an agent book them (it's not entirely clear if system has inventory availability limits for certs beyond L/U/T/X/V class inventory).

I'm finding zero availability out of my home airport (HSV), but have had good luck flying out of the next closest large airport (BNA). The L/U/X/T/V is already gone for the summer here.

I just successfully used one…. for a trip 321 days out… LOL.

I have noticed it's much harder to find availability these days as well. Pre-Covid I don't recall ever really having any issues finding space on flights. But this year it seems like when I first look, there are always plenty of flights but as soon as I pull up certificate, it's all gone. Wonder if the expiration date extensions have resulted in a glut of people trying to use them.

Maybe - I do seem to have five available on my account. But I always consider them useless.

I've had good luck this year. OMA-LGA booked end of April for early June. OMA-IAD booked last week for end of July. Both nonstop which I thought would be impossible to get.

I tried to too for a trip in September to Nashville (9/10-9/17). No luck. Though 9/10 - 9/18 works with cert, but we'd rather get back on Saturday than on Sunday. Also when I search for the flights without cert, they are much cheaper than with cert. Also looked for a trip in August to MSP (8/11-8/14) and still no luck. So far no luck with using the cert I have leftover from last year.

Now, of course when I look, there is availability for Nashville though still would like to book multi-city so we don't need to drive back to Nashville to go back home, but can't do that with the companion cert. (There are also flights for MSP in August, but more expensive even with the cert than what we ended up booking).

Just as jeff191 said, I've never had trouble using them prior to this year, but the only dates I was able to find for CMH-DAB in June are 6/1-14 and 6/7-21, which have several options available. Everything else is sold out/giving me the Oops! of doom.

we've been successful for myself (Platinum) and family (since you can give them to others).
They do sell out fast (L/U/T/X/V class)

Previously I always had good luck in finding L/U/T/X/V inventory for flights to LAS from ANC, and most of the time we used the companion certificates for a Vegas trip when we wanted to get away for a few days. Searching a range of random dates from close in to far out it’s hard to find inventory anymore. Some options are there, but very hard to find if you don’t have flexible dates.

DL doesn't limit the number of seats available like they do for other certs (RUCs, GUCs) but there must be discount fare classes available. (L/U/T/X/V). I used 2 on the same flight ATL-TUS-ATL earlier this year but summer travel is selling out these discounted fares which are revenue managed just like they've always been. I assume you're not trying to book close to your flight date?

I had no trouble booking first class RT to Sacramento and back from the east coast. Booked last month.