Managing the Drought in International Business Class Award Tickets

[["The Good Ol' Days","Today's Reality","What Can You Do?"],["This time three years ago, the odds of two people getting a Business Class saver award seat over the next 11 months on American Airlines from NY to London, one of the carrieru0092s busiest routes, were favorable. The exception was June through August, when the odds dropped to 50-50 (still not bad). Other airlines, among them Delta, also offered very good odds on a Business Class saver award during off-peak months, such as April, May, Dec. and Jan. The times were good.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Limited availability:<\/span><\/strong> Saver Business Class award space on the five major U.S. airlines is at a low on routes that once offered great award availability, such as American's NY to London route. My data shows that the majority of award space inventory on U.S. airlines is more likley to be plentiful from November through January (except the holidays, of course), particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Check your preferred carrier's alliance partners: <\/span><\/strong>For example, Delta showed no low-rate Business Class awards seats on its nonstops from Atlanta to Paris, but its partner Air France had them for 100,000 Delta miles. Delta allows you to check award space online for its partner airlines, Air France and KLM. United also shows partner award space (Continental, Lufthansa, and US Airways) on its website. Its merger partner, Continental, shows even more: Air Canada, British Midland, Lufthansa, United, and Virgin Atlantic (only until June 14). American and US Airways do not provide this information online, so you have to call reservations."],["First Class saver awards were also plentiful on American and United to several destinations, among them: New York, Dallas, and Chicago to London on AA; Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC to London on United.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Saver awards:<\/span><\/strong> Finding award space here requires travelers to be very flexible.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Look at other destinations:<\/span><\/strong> Award inventory to Asia and South America is often greater than to Europe. \n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Remember domestic opportunities:<\/span><\/strong> Transcon Business Class can cost as much as some international tickets, but they go for half when it comes to paying in miles."],["New routes were a great place to score Business Class award tickets as recently as last year. In February 2010, you had a great chance of scoring a ticket from March through December on US Airwaysu0092 Charlotte to Rio de Janeiro route.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">U.S. Airlines would rather discount a Business Class seat than release it to mileage inventory:<\/span> <\/strong>That's why we're seeing highly discounted Business Class tickets on some routes during peak travel periods. For example the Boston-London promo offered by AA in April ($925 base fare plus taxes and fees round-trip) for travel this spring and summer. It makes more marketing sense to them than to \"give away\" the seats.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Go to Hawaii:<\/span><\/strong> U.S. airlines charge an average of 25,000 fewer miles to Hawaii in First Class than they do for international Business Class travel. As the First Class fare to the 50th state is usually high, this is a good return on miles. \n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Caribbean & Mexico saver awards:<\/span><\/strong> Business Class fares on average are not high, but availability is usually good and the cost is low, 60,000 miles."],["Award \"redemption rates\" were pretty reasonable. In 2008 United and US Airways only charged 80,000 miles for a saver award ticket to Europe, and US Airways offered unrestricted Business Class award seats for only 160,000 miles round-trip.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Anytime mileage cost has increased: <\/span><\/strong>One of the reasons is that U.S. carriers have segmented their mileage programs. Three out of five U.S. mileage programs now have three tiers. US Airways takes the tiered cake with four, which is probably why it has the highest anytime-mileage-redemption-rate increase: from 160,000 miles in 2008 to 350,000 miles now.","<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Look at First Class redemptions:<\/span><\/strong> While Business Class saver award rates on many airlines have increased over the past few years by up to 20,000 miles, American's First Class rates have remained the same. \n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Get the over-the-water flights first:<\/span><\/strong> Then work back to the domestic connection. Buy the connecting ticket if you have to. \n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Get to the Continent:<\/span><\/strong> If you can only get space to Frankfurt, take it, even if you're going to another city, and buy a separate ticket for the final leg. \n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #6699cc;\">Take one seat and buy the other:<\/span><\/strong> It's hard enough getting one. But keep checking for award availability for that second ticket."]]