Hi all,
How early should I plan on getting plane tix using FF miles? My miles are on American Airlines. This would be my first time using miles and I am not sure if the airlines only have a set number of seats avaliable for flyer miles. I am assuming I need to get them pretty early to secure them but I am just not sure. FYI - I am not planning on going until early 2011. Any advise would be appreciated.
Bob
I'd get them now. The earlier the better.
Don't know about AA, however, DL and CO had a 364 day limit before reservation. I did it this year on CO for my wife to accompany me on business less than 30 days before flight time--the caveat was this was before the volcano.
Oddly, the earlier you try, the harder it can be to get a seat--that was my experience with DL.
I agree that the earlier the better, especially to lock in the more desirable flights (non-stops or flights with minimal layovers).
That said, however, we were able to use our American Airline FF miles this past February for a trip we took in March.
One just never knows...
330 days out from the day of travel is the usual start date for FF miles seat availability.
Typically the sooner the better
If you are flying coach you have more leeway than if you are trying to fly business with the 50,000 mile selection. For the 50K business seats you will need to reserve them as soon as they become available...on a 767 they sometimes only make 2 seats available for that mileage reward.
I did this for a trip in 2007 and started at the 330-day window. Oddly enough, the Business class seats on the Detroit-Paris leg were available at the 50K mileage level, but the equivalent First class seats from Seattle to Detroit were not released yet. What I wound up doing was complicated but I SHOULD have insisted that the airline book me the DTW-CDG leg in Business class and waitlist me for First class for the SEA-DTW leg (or just settled for Coach). Consider this if you run into a similar situation.
Most airlines now have tiers for their FF seats - they offer a few seats at a lower miles/seat, then more seats at higher miles, etc. If you start early, you have a better shot at getting a seat for fewer miles. I'd start at the 330 days and work at it almost daily until you get what you want. Worked for me this year, anyway. A week after I reserved my tickets in October (for July), the price (in miles) was more than double.
If you know when you want to go, I would book ASAP. The airline doesn't let you know how many free seats are available, but it is very limited. Good luck!
Since my travel dates are not very flexible, wife's work schedule and a RS tour,
I have started out at the 330 day start. I have booked NW after trying online and then calling (calling worked better) and Air France (using Alaska Air miles) on line, both early after that 330 day start. I would certainly keep trying often if nothing is available at first and don't forget the calling option.
As others have said, start early. Also, I've found it better to call and speak to someone rather than suffer online! Even if it costs a bit, it's worth it get the seat assignment.
Do check with any co-share airlines...you don't HAVE to fly AA.
I have FF miles on United, but always check the other Star Alliance airlines for seats. The customer service person at AA can help you figure that you, you might have to call the other airline to secure seats.
AA from TX is usually the best of of DFW...more direct flights. Rest assured that using FF miles will route you on 2 stops, harder to get direct flights.
Good Luck!
Shop early and shop often. Your chances of getting what you want are best the earlier you try - especially if your dates are not flexible.
You really need to know what you're doing in order to make this work. This website is great for tips on European travel, but it's not the authoritative source for inside info on how to win at the very complicated frequent flyer game. Google "FlyerTalk" and prepare to spend some time getting a valuable education there.
I just (2 hours ago) booked award travel for me and the wife this fall from Seattle to Thailand, with a stopover there for a few days, then on to our destination in Indonesia, then return about 3 weeks later. It's a long, convoluted route (Seattle, Tokyo, Bangkok, Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta; return Jakarta, Singapore, Seoul, San Francisco, Seattle).
Buying this ticket would have cost us big bucks, but we paid just $110 total plus miles (just 65000 miles each - you can almost get that for signing up for one credit card). Quite a deal. But you have to know the sneaky rules of the game.
Now I just need to scavenge a few more miles for a couple tickets to Greece the following spring... I loves me the frequent flyer tickets. :)
Get them as soon as you can. I use mine frequently and just used enough for 2 round trip tickets on American to Europe. If you are certain about your dates, you might be able to get them for just 20K (coach) each way, especially if it is low season. Another reason to get them now, all airlines are adding extra fees continually, they may well increase the fees for using FF miles. Just be advised that if you do change your plans after booking, you will pay additional fees. Another time, I waited too late to book a reward ticket and the coach ticket would cost 60K each way....for 62.5K I was able to book first class. American's AAdvantage rewards booking page is very easy to use, just click on "Show Full Calendar" and you will be able to determine if fewer miles are needed for alternate days of departure.
