I would like to start a project to enter the data from different airline award programs into Excel.

I need volunteers to help with two things. Defining a data format and entering the data.

I am thinking of a format that would allow easy creation of tables across frequent flyer programs (using Pivot Tables). For example a table that would compare how many points various programs require to get from USA to Europe

If anyone has interest in helping out in either of those areas reply to thread.

The intent is to make the data available to anyone for free.

Indervinder Welcome to FT

Already exists.
These links give a guide of ff miles needed. These may not be up to date.
-AwardAce: Compare Award Redemptions Across Airlines In Seconds --> http://www.awardace.com/ Has surcharge indication
-Economical Excursionist's Tools to compare Frequent Flyer Mile Redemptions --> http://www.flyermiler.com/
-AwardHacker: a tool we build to tell you how to travel with the least miles --> http://www.awardhacker.com/

This is not exactly what I wanted but I think close enough.

Thanks for responding.

And be aware that it can't be a simple spreadsheet. Because it's not a fixed amount in many cases. For example, it may be one amount for going cross-Atlantic and another amount on going cross-Pacific on one carrier, but not another carrier. (And this is actually simplifying the routing rules, they're actually much more complicated than that in many cases, such as only certain countries being allowed as connection points for the lowest award.) And then there's carriers such as Delta with many award levels, and then there's carriers which charge more for partner flights than their own flights, and then there's carriers which charge off-peak and peak awards differently, etc, etc, etc.

That's why it's rarely done in true spreadsheet form to date, if it's correctly and if it covers lots of airlines.

What exactly are you wanting?

And others that charge point to point, not matter how many connections (subject to t&c's) and others that charge segment by segment (like BA). Some ffp's have award regions with different rules. And other like AS who have restrictions on routes and carriers.

And here's more:

Some carriers allow one-way redemptions, and others don't. As an example, LATAM is tricky; they don't allow one-way nonstop redemptions, but you may be able to do "open jaw" redemptions. But again, this trickiness is enough to blow up any simple "spreadsheet" concept.

Oh, and here's another issue to consider: What if you don't already have miles there, and by the time you transfer, (or earn) then the flights you wanted are not available any more. You can't reverse the transfer, and many airlines around the world have horrid un-extendable expiration policies, so you cannot just let those miles you transferred "sit" there, you now have to use them up somehow on something else within a couple years maybe (where maybe it won't be such a good value any more, but you have to use up those "stranded" miles before they go "poof"). So IMHO that "what if" also needs to factor into choosing which airlines miles' to use (if you don't already have the miles there).

See the wiki of this thread for all the scoop on expiration policies:

And then there's the workarounds, like how to get flights cheaper with United's new excursionist rules.

And there's also what you consider as Europe, because airlines have different definitions.

There's nothing that simple. That's why there are award booking services.

Plus, even after you find it, there is still the question of getting the availability.