Someone recently mentioned a Flight Availability Tool. I've searched the NWA site high and low and I can't find it.

Check the Mileage Run Tools thread in the Mileage Run forum - there's a few availability tools listed there...

Search for KVS. Works great but no search tool will give you R or I availability.

There is also a dedicated KVS Tool - NW thread in this forum: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=425791

The secret is that you must be logged in!!! Then the option of "my travel days are flexable" comes up under where you type the dates. You can then search 3 days before and after each date. It seems to work great.

Just figured out that you only have to be logged in when searching for award travel. If you want to pay for your trip just click on "more search options" under where you type in where and when and then "my dates are flexible"

Do I need to pay for this Tool before logging in?

Deleted due to edit on my first post above.

Does this NW Tool (basic, free version) show R and I availability?

No, there is, unfortunately, no tool (currently) that shows R/I buckets. You'll have to call or use the nwa.com method to check these buckets.

You do not need to pay for the tool, but you do need to PM KVS and get a user code of some sort. In any case, as I mentioned above, the KVS tool doesn't show R/I class, there's probably not that much of a use for it.

For the "I" bucket I can check nwa.com by using mileage upgrade option. But there is no way to check "R" bucket......

You can check R class on nwa.com, you just won't know the number of R seats on the flight. If it brings back First/Mileage Upgrade when checking the R class bucket without pulling up a Y-26/27 type fare, then there's R class available on that flight.

OK. I checked First/mileage upgrade for NW 387 May 27 BOS-DTW. It is available for $430+30,000 miles and fare basis is H3E254N.

So does it mean that R class is available? But why didn't I get an upgrade now at 5-day Plat window if there is R seat?

I only need one R seat

Perhaps one opened up and they've yet to run EUA on that flight? R-class is available since you're pulling up the standard mileage award that draws from R-class seats.

NW's been going nuts with their EUA lately. I wouldn't lose hope, though, with 4 seats showing and still many days for the EUA to pick you up. Out of curiosity, why'd you choose a A319 on the BOS-DTW route (a heavy elite route) instead of a 757? Scheduling, perhaps?

NW runs EUA everyday, but one only gets upgraded if there is R availability. At least this is what it's supposed to be.

Back to scheduling, NW 343/215 all run 757 but then I need to wait at DTW for an extra 2 and 4 hours before catching NW 25 to NRT. NW 385 is again a 757 but I won't be able to arrive in DTW in time to connect NW 25.

I could try NW 385+NW 11 to NRT since NW 11 departs one hour later than NW 25. Then I lose big in EQMs because my eventual destination is PEK and NW 11 is considered a "direct" DTW-PEK flight.

Miles for DTW-PEK: 6,631
Miles for DTW-NRT-PEK: 7,727

I would lose more than 1,000 EQMs!! These qualifying miles are precious to make Gold/Plat next year

Good news is that it shows

May 27

NW 25 DTW-NRT J2 C0 Z0 Y1 B0 M0 H0 Q0 V0 L0 T0 K0
NW 11 NRT-PEK J4 C0 Z0 Y7 B0 M0 H0 Q0 V0 L0 T0 K0

I hope to get bumped or Op-Up.