Award flights from DSS back to the U.S.
 

I'd like to take my family (six of us) to Senegal next summer in either June or July. I'm watching South African Airways flight availability between IAD to DSS. It looks like there is sporadic availability for six tickets @ 20k/25k Virgin Atlantic miles from IAD to DSS, but I don't see anything for the return flight. Does anyone else have any experience or insight in booking six award seats on this leg?
If it turns out that there is no availability, is there a good way to get award tickets home? I don't mind going somewhere else on the way back or extending the trip - it's the out of pocket expense that I need to minimize. I live near Atlanta, but I'm fine ending the trip anywhere within a 12 hour drive of there. I have around 250k UR points, 30k MR points, and various amounts of AA and united miles, and I can churn more as needed.

When you say next summer are you meaning summer 2018 or summer 2019?

6 tickets is going to be a challenge. Looking for two one ways or two sets of 3 going each way and splitting up the group.

"next summer" would mean 2019..."this summer" would refer to 2018

I'd say if the 6 award seats to DSS you're occasionally seeing are there when a date that works opens up, go ahead and book them as getting 6 award seats together is tough in general. Then figure out the return trip. If availability doesn't pan out, another alternative, similar to flying to another US airport and driving home (or booking a separate flight), you could book a separate short-haul flight (with miles or cash) to another airport that does have longhaul availability back to the US. The wikipedia page for most major airports is a good start point to see what airlines fly there, and the nonstop cities served. Play around with different combinations to see what works. I've had to use both methods many times in order to get a trip worked out. And as mentioned above, with 6 people you may also need to consider splitting up the group in some manner if none of these other ideas work out.

I'm looking at 2019.
Looking at two sets of 3 is a good idea, thanks!

Thanks. I'm nervous about booking the outbound flights without knowing how the rest of the trip would work out, but I guess I just need to get over that and go for it if the opportunity arises.

If need be awards can be cancelled, albeit usually at cost.
Awards outbound will not wait while you try for the inbound. Someone else will get them if you do not.

Yes - it looks like it'd be $50 per ticket to cancel a Virgin Atlantic award ticket, which isn't bad. I'd be more disappointed about having my UR and MR miles stuck in their program (though I guess it wouldn't be too bad since I want to get to Senegal eventually).