13 ways to maximize your chances of getting a seat

Almost every day brings notice of route cuts and cancellations and fleet reductions. For the frequent flyer there is one overarching ramification—fewer award seats are available now than ever before, and the situation is likely to get worse. So here are 13 ways of maximizing your chances of scoring an award ticket in a time of scarcity.

1. Stay up on new routes

Yes, airlines are cutting flights, but they have also increased them to some destinations, notably Central America and the Caribbean. The lag time between a service increase and the public’s awareness of it is your window of opportunity to get a mileage ticket, because seats are going unsold. Learn about new flights through an airline’s loyalty-program newsletter or at the “Press Room” pages of its website.

2. Make partner airlines part of the process

You won’t always—maybe even rarely now—find seats on your preferred carrier for your travel dates. The solution: Look to the carrier’s partners for award tickets. Try every possible routing, even one that involves making a short connection. It’s the long-haul flight that matters most. Know all the possible partners and routes going in so you can spur the reservationist or travel agent.

3. Consider a morning flight to Europe

As few business travelers want to spend a day in the air, these flights often have better award availability than overnight flights. They depart mostly from East Coast gateways and arrive in the evening.

4. Look for the trans-Atlantic/trans-Pacific segment first

That’s because it’s often the connecting flight that makes it difficult to get an award seat. If you’re flying from San Diego, which has no international non-stop service, tell the reservationist to look first for departures from Los Angeles and San Francisco, then go farther afield. If you can’t get an award seat on the connecting flight, buy a separate ticket.

5. First Class Saver Awards

Yes, they cost more than Business Class, but they can open up another door for using your miles.

6. Consider a “combination” award

Continental, Delta, Northwest, and US Airways allow a combination award ticket, meaning a Saver in one direction and an Unrestricted in the other. American and United, on the other hand, do not allow award mixing, even if a Saver Award is available in one direction.

7. If you can’t fly free, try for an upgrade

Airlines usually make more Business Class seats available for upgrading than they do for free tickets. With an upgrade you also earn miles on the economy fare.

8. Go online before calling the airline or your travel agent

I don’t like to rely completely on the Internet, but it’s a good tool to get a handle on what’s out there.

9. Keep calling until you get a good agent

Reservationists are like a box of chocolates. So call back until you get one that is willing to go the extra frequent-flyer mile for you.

10. On international itineraries, use the 24-hour stopover rule

Abroad, a stop of less than 24 hours counts as a connection, not a stopover. This can work to your advantage when seeking a mileage ticket because it allows you to fly to a regional or international gateway the day before your trans-Atlantic/Pacific flight.

11. If you wait-list, know your aircraft

Meaning: Go for the largest aircraft used on the route. United’s 777s have 49 Business Class seats versus 32 on its 767s. Continental’s 777s have 48-50 seats; its 757s have 16. The more premium seats, the better the odds of a premium award.

12. One mileage award seat is better than none

If you’re looking for two seats but only one is available, take it. Book the second ticket on a deeply discounted published fare on the same flight. One seat on miles is better than no seat on miles.

13. Sizing Up Unrestricted Mileage Awards

There is a lot of competition for Business and First Class seats. That means sooner or later you’ll find that there are no discount mileage seats to be had when you want to fly, even if you’re flexible. Then you have to decide whether to spring for an Unrestricted Award, also called a Double-Mileage Award because they generally cost at least twice the miles of a Restricted Award. The upside: These awards are not capacity controlled, meaning if there’s even just one seat for sale, the airline will give it to you. Unrestricted Awards also have no blackout dates. However, Unrestricted Awards are often not available for tickets on code-share partner airlines. The cost of an Unrestricted Award varies greatly by airline, as the chart below indicates.

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