It would be nice to be able to create threads with polls.

They can be created. See the "Thread tools" menu.

Maybe I'm missing something./

In the New Thread page, I don't see a "Thread Tools" menu.

I believe that the poll functionality is reserved for administrators of FlyerTalk — as well as for moderators primarily in the forums of which they moderate.

After all these years as Moderator I thought it was part of the tools available to signed in members! Thanks for your gentle correction!

In that case:

I'd recommend thinking of an outline for a poll (must be added to an existing thread, so you can create one or ask Moderators to do so,) and contacting the forum's moderators to request they set up a poll. It's fairly easy to do: even I can do it!

You can PM the Moderators by clicking on , which pops up a message box; the message goes to all Moderators of a forum, or to the four Senior Moderators if there are no appointed Moderators.

You can also PM the Moderators directly; their handles are listed in a box at the lower right side of a forum's main page. I recommend contacting all forum Moderators, as unlike some sites with paid staff moderators, FlyerTalk Moderators are volunteers, and most work, travel, go on holiday, etc.