FlyWorld

How much time did you have to invest in that process? Since you booked SQ, I assume you had to sit on phone? Where and when are you flying?

In any case, I've been at this game with what used to be United Airlines for 14 years and availability has never been worse than it has become in the last year.

It makes more sense to work harder, make more money, and spend that money on discounted fare on whichever airline happens to fit best than to spend productive time fighting this rigged game.

If you fly and earn miles, of course, use them, but giving up cash to buy miles except for account topping is not rational or intelligent unless you can turn around and use them immediately on a saver flight that offers better value than a discounted fare.

Agreed.

pnsnkr

FWIW, I really appreciate that they have done away with the pmUA rule of having to cross the same ocean on outbound and return travel. This has really opened up the options for us - however limited they may be compared to 14 yrs ago - such that I now have an itinerary of AUS-IAH-LAX-ICN-SIN-DEL-stopover-DEL-BLR-MLE-return-MLE-IST-IAH-AUS booked all in Business Class

Actually, the availability has been so good that we could have easily booked any of the following for the same-or-very-similar date ranges, ALL in Business class:
AUS-CMB-open-jaw-MLE-AUS
AUS-KTM-stopover-KTM-MLE-return-MLE-AUS
AUS-CNX-stopover-CNX-MLE-return-MLE-AUS
AUS-SIN-stopover-SIN-MEL-return-MLE-AUS

Of course, quite a few of these would have involved calling as opposed to booking online.

Kacee

These were simple one way, two segment, awards. It took only about five minutes on the phone to get the SQ segment booked.

I agree it can be very difficult to find saver awards, particularly on certain routes (such as ps and TATLs ex-SFO), and particularly if travel must occur on a particular day.

FlyWorld

Since I have lost all status, there is no such thing as "5 minutes on the phone" for me. I have to wait 30 minutes to just to get someone to pick up the phone.

"certain routes (such as ps and TATLs ex-SFO)"

As an SFO based flyer who travels TATL to EU, these "certain" routes represent more than half of the routes I want to fly. The other half is TPAC, for which availability does tend to be reasonable, although still declined from the past.

Aellinsar

I'm new to the UA Mileage game, since the last reward flight I booked was probably ~15 years ago.

Through credit cards, we have enough miles for saver/coach flights to Europe and have been looking at a CMH - EDI - CDG - CHM itinerary for summer of 2016. For some reason , the CDG-CHM leg has plenty of availability through June 23, then nothing after that.

Is this common? Would I expect any availability to open up for later summer (we're thinking of travel in early August, and I've been checking to see if/when anything opens up).

It seems like the leg into CMH is the problem as I can find saver flights from CDG to the hubs (EWR/YYZ/etc.) but I can't get the complete flight. But on the other hand, I can find flights from London and EDI available after the June 23 date and they go through the same hubs so I'm a bit confused.

Asiatraveler15

That is peak season and thus will booked quickly one year in advance. Check your routes daily for any new award offers or possibly consider alternative locations.

Kacee

Welcome to FT!

That's rather odd about CMH not being available after June 23. Is CLE an option?

In any event, award inventory is dynamic, so keep watching. The dilemma here is whether to book everything else now and then pay a change fee to add a CMH segment later (assuming one opens) vs. holding out until you can book the entire itinerary. If you can get something into CLE, you might consider that as a compromise solution.

Award space is not released on a schedule.

Sometimes it's released at 330 days, sometimes it's released later, sometimes it's not released at all.

Asiatraveler15

Yes, and sometimes it is released a few days before.

Uh, ok. I never said there was a schedule and have made many comments about that in the past.
But if you know anything about awards for next summer, a lot of the early summer flights that where posted have already been snatched up. Depending on where you are going of course. But, more may become available.
Like I suggested to him because there is no schedule, keep checking.

Altaflyer

Wow, I've not redeemed an award since January and that was on Copa but availability is truly horrid! I can't get a flight to NYC (from Edmonton) or back in May, in economy midweek! UA has turned into Delta but ironically I can get seats for that trip on Delta at the lowest miles price! No point in collecting UA miles at all now.

Aellinsar

Thanks very much for the feedback. Our travel options are June or August (preferred August). But with availability for June, I'm wondering if I grab that now or hold out when August theoretically should open up. I think I'll wait a few more weeks and see what it brings.

That was a good suggestion about other cities! While nothing is available after June 23 for CMH, there is one day in July with a flight to CLE and 2 days each available to CIN and DAY. It's about 30 min. extra drive to DAY and 1.5 hrs to CIN/CLE, but that is tolerable.

747FC

I need to get to DXB in late April, early May. No GF awards seats on dates I need, but noticed availability on a date that would be too risky for me to attempt.

Does anyone have experience with monitoring IAD-DXB GF award seats who can give me some advice on how likely it might be for seats to open up for booking.

(I already have alternative J seats from another origin, but would love to get in the IAD-DXB GF seats.)

Thanks!

cesco.g

Indeed: often TATL there is premium award space available from Midwest, East Coast hubs to EU, but very limited or no Y (much less domestic F) connections from the West Coast.
Worse: short-term more inventory might open up from those hubs, with no chance at all to get a connecting flight to hubs. So, many of those seats in reality are non-existent for West Coast folks.

anc-ord772

Just booked SGN-BKK-NRT//HND-SFO-PDX saver Y online. Jan 7 to NRT, Jan 11 home.

seagar

I am trying to go to the Caribbean or Hawaii from ORD next Jan or Feb on a 1st saver award roundtrip with wife. It amazes me that UAL can show the availability of premium saver awards in the colored calendar (very few at that) and then when checked it is only part of the trip. How can they say premium cabin when it is not. I even found one offered from ORD-DEN-SFO-HNL where only DEN-SFO was first.

I've searched but can't find a solution and don't think checking back daily should be required. If my only choice is a one-stop, can I book 4 one-way tickets, say ORD-SFO, SFO-HNL, HNL-LAX, LAX-ORD and if so is there any downside to this?

WineCountryUA

4 separate OWs?
Might be a good search strategy but poor booking strategy.

1) Mileage cost would be make higher.

2) Reduced IRROPs protection

As an 1K, there is no risk in separate outbound / return award tickets but putting each segment on a separate ticket is not a good idea,