I post some on the US board, but I think this may be my first question for the travel board.
This is for next year, but I am trying to figure out a strategy. Flying out on Dec 27, 2012.
I would like fly from FSM to MIA. My second choice would be from TUL or XNA to MIA.
I would like to return on Jan 1, 2013. I have about 103,000 points and my wife has about 58,000 points. 3 of us flying. It seems that FSM only allows 2 awards per flight. So, I might have to just pay for one of us or go with TUL or XNA. They are both about 2 hours away, while FSM is about 20 minutes from our house. Plus, there are very few flights from there, so there is very little hassle at the airport.
So, my main question is when should I try to book this? Should I try right on the day that it becomes available and then again 5 days later for the return? Or should I wait and do both at the same time? Of course, I would like to use as few of my points as possible. Should I try right at midnight? or does that even matter.
I am also contemplating a trip for July 2013 trip to Kauai. So, I might be better off saving those points for then. However, it seems that if you book a hotel together with an air reservation that you get a pretty darn good deal. I would like to fly out on coach and return on 1st.
Any thoughts or tips about booking AA awards would be appreciated. I don't know if they will even be allowing any awards on Dec 27, but I suspect they would on Jan 1. Aren't actual holidays a fairly light travel day?
Booking with AA awards for Dec 27, 2012
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Jan. 1, 2013 is a Tuesday. I'd guess that it would be a fairly busy travel day to wind up a long holiday weekend. Certainly try to get seats, but I'd be surpised.
Well, first, you probably know that the reservation "window" doesn't open until 330 days out, so you should start looking for redemption inventory sometime around the first of February.
Second, all AA mileage "awards" (I don't like that term personally; whether or not you know it you paid real money for those miles) are now one-way, so I would do my best to get everybody on the outbound flight(s) you want, then look for returns later. But having said that, there's nothing magical about 330 days; mileage seats are released on no particular schedule, but based on what the real-time computer models tell the "revenue management" people at the airline. In fact, it's often easier to get mileage seats closer to flight day than later. (For example, there are a number of first-class "saver" seats available between Dallas and Miami for this weekend, including Christmas Eve.)
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't start as soon as you like. You might get two seats on day 1, then one more on day 40 - there's no way to know.
As for "best" use of miles, it's a personal thing - I never redeem miles for a flight where the dollar cost equates to less than a 2c per mile "value," i.e. I wouldn't do a 25,000 mile redemption for a ticket costing less than $500. Going for a first class seat to Hawaii sounds to me like much better leverage of your miles, but, as I say, it's a personal thing.