paul4040

Searching for JAL F availability, either LHR-TYO or (Any USA-TYO), cannot find a single flight with F availability, at various times of year.

Have JAL removed all F reward availability?

Is there another site or resource where I can get a calendar of availability?

xenole

I found LHR-NRT? in F around the 31st March / 1st April last week. Considering this is around cherry blossom time, surprised.
As for ex-USA, zero but without searching every day, I can't say this is 100%.

nkvuong

Is LHR-NRT on BA? I don't think JAL flies that route.

I can see some sporadic JAL F availability next March/April for SFO-HND, and quite a lot for LHR-HND.

mike&co

No (or very little) F availability showing on BA either on any of the US routes I've been looking at. That's been consistent over the past 3 weeks. No doubt the premium sale has been having an effect on F reward seat availability.

paul4040

I managed to find a couple out of ORD to TYO but that is for short notice travel. But that was after a LOT of searching!

ajeleonard

Saw an F seat on CDG-HND the other day through executive club, 3 days out

lost_in_translation

JAL's model for F redemption seats on the LHR route seems to be to release one or maximum two seats around a year ahead, then rarely open up any other redemption seats until around a couple of weeks before the flight, when multiple additional seats can be released if it's a very quiet flight.

s1362083

I booked LHR-HND F for peak Easter 2018 travel date about 11 months out. Couldn't believe that not only was my preferred date available, but also dates either side of it, with 2 seats on some IIRC. I assumed from that that availability must be good generally but I've never searched any other time.

godsavethepoints

I book a lot of these for clients and agree, very much like Cathay with their ex US avail. Release a seat a year out, only tinker in weeks ahead. If you need a last minute winner, they're very reliable in most relevant thread markets: NYC, SFO, LHR, LAX for business or first, but 3 months out... good luck.

s1362083

Out of interest, do you have any idea if cancellations drop back into the inventory for JL/CX? Would be nice to know its worthwhile tracking a convenient date on the off-chance that there's a cancellation, or if its a case of once its gone, its gone.

godsavethepoints

i think it's a case by case. I haven't seen any definitive evidence that it remains award inventory, but it does happen. Totally depends on yields I suppose.

skimthetrees

It may be a bit different for JL vs CX but in general I think they have some algorithm whereby they come with a number they are willing to release as awards. If cancelling an award would keep them at or below their current award target then the awards go back into inventory, if not then they do not go back.

I had a res on CX for 1 F and 2 PE awards less than a month out. Then flight may have been oversold because at some point after I booked CX zeroed all but F inventory as seen in EF (F2, everything else 0). I canceled and the F award went immediately back to inventory but the PE awards did not.

JL's award formula appears to have an additional component which includes a date range. IME cancelling a C award > 60 days out the award went back into inventory immediately. Sometime in the mid range (and I am not exactly sure of the range), maybe 2 weeks out through 30 days out, it looked to me based on EF inventory numbers that F awards were not going back into inventory, then within about 2 weeks out it opens up again.

fransknorge

I found a JL F LHR HND for March 2017 7 months prior to travel. There was availability on more than 50% of the days for March and April. The difficulty was to get the return, where availability was non existent. I manage with a *A redemption for the inbound.

LTN Phobia

This topic was originally posted in the BA forum, however as it is JL that control JL award availability, it has been moved to the JL forum where there may be more people experienced with JL F awards to answer the OP's queries.

LTN Phobia
Moderator: BA forum

dkc192

I snagged an F award on JFK-NRT in mid-April for travel over a holiday weekend in December. It was the only one available ex-NA over those several days. I'm considering myself quite lucky!