hawaiiantraveler

Just asking as I am about to purchase ours as upgradeable and was wondering if anyone else buys tickets that far(11 months)in advance anymore.

Aloha!

rhkkmk

for FF tickets i try to do it at the limit which is about 331 days in advance....this assures getting a seat...

for reg tickets i try to do it at least 6 mo in advance.....

glorialf

I get my ff tickets the hour they become available -- around 330 days in advance usually. I check with the airline and call the day -- early

simpsonc510

I think I booked 6 months ahead one time. It was my second trip, and was going to be over the New Years holiday just following my first trip to BKK, which was in June/July of 2001. Other than that, I usually am about 6 to 8 weeks prior to traveling.
Carol

hawaiiantraveler

Carol,

Do you ever try to upgrade at that late in the game(8 weeks prior)? I know your a PE in UA.

Looking forward to seeing you again soon. Ken and I are brainstorming trying to keep up with Bob and Andy's Boston Tea Party, lol.

Aloha!

Kathie

HT, I always book 11 months ahead so I can guarantee that I get my upgrade. I won't book any ticket that I am not guaranteed an upgrade. Sometimes they will tell you, oh, just book it, you can be upgraded later. My experience is that it doesn't happen - even for a PE. (Maybe because my route has so many 1k ff)

simpsonc510

HT
I'm upgraded all the way to BKK and back, in July. I just booked the trip sometime in May, I think. Not all that long ago. I had 3 segments (out of 4) guaranteed upgrades at purchase, and the last leg came through for me about two weeks ago.
Carol

simpsonc510

Kathie
I never know that far in advance when I'm going to want to go somewhere!! lol But then, I'm ALWAYS ready to GO somewhere...

Actually, I always know the dates for the trips to Europe a year ahead. These are business/pleasure trips, twice a year or so. The trade shows are scheduled way ahead so it's easy to plan for them. The BKK trips, on the other hand, always seem to be spur of the moment... let's see when we can squeeze in the time to make that long trip!

Peter and Ken, I know you guys will be strong competition for the Boston tea party in October! I'm looking forward to my week on Oahu in September!

Carol

rkkwan

I have never bought tickets that far in advance for myself or my parents, and we go 2-3 times to HKG a year. But we're also going low-season, usually.

7-8 weeks is usually when we do it, but usually the cheaper fares come around starting about 4 months out. Airlines seldom release their cheaper fares 11 months out.

As for FF award tickets, it depends on airline. Continental don't release their "standard" awards until 4-5 months out, usually.

Kathie

rkkwan, it is certainly true that you don't get the lowest fares by purchasing 11 months in advance. But when you are purchasing upgradeable fares, they aren't the lowest anyway.

United is the only airline I know of that allows you to guarantee your upgraded seats 11 months in advance. You are quite right, each airline has its own rules.

kuranosuke

ht, if you want those guaranteed upgradeable seats, you should book it now if available. if you wait too long, then you might lose those seats to the 1ks, and others with status.

carol, ht and i have had several brainstorming sessions so far, but we are also looking for inputs from our mainland fodorites who will be here in sep.also from the local fodorites.

mrwunrfl

What airline? If it is United then it would require Y,B,M, or H fare to upgrade with miles, so it's not really a bargain hunting situation as far as the fare goes.

Where to where? HNL-NRT?

mrwunrfl

If you log onto united dot com and edit your profile so that you are set to "expert" mode then you can see booking class availability with flight details.

Go to the award search page and search for an economy seat, HNL-NRT, April 8-16. You should see award availability for those dates. Mouse over <u><font color="blue">Show flight details </font></u> and you should see the availability codes.

The code for economy upgraded with miles is NC. Right now the availability is &quot;NC9&quot; for both flights, meaning that there are at least 9 seats available for upgrade from economy to business class.

If you wanted to leave this month, traveling June 11-16, then availability is NC4 to NRT and NC0 on the return.

June 12-19 is NC9 and NC5. I'm not sure what the consensus is over at flyertalk - whether or not that united.bomb info is accurate. If it is accurate then it shows plenty of availability next April ... and next week, at least on some dates. The NC0 doesn't mean you wouldn't get upgraded, only that it is not immediately available.

I wouldn't book it more than 6 months in advance, but no harm in doing so. I suppose that I'd want to get a fare that would give me a refund if the fare or fuel surcharge dropped. And, of course, expect schedule changes.

Nutella

I never book my major travel more than a few months in advance - i'm way too impulsive, the wait and anticipation over a longer period (as well as the obsessive research) would kill me LOL. So I booked my flight to PEK for mid October this past week on United. I was surprised when it came time to select my seat that only a small handful were available. And all the way in the back of the plane Oh well, I'll still get there, only a few seconds later than the people in the front who bought their tickets earlier

glorialf

I would book my flights later if I was paying since often there are specials or lower fares. But if I am using ff miles I book way in advance.

simpsonc510

If you are using your ff miles to get a free ticket, then yes, you need to book it way out (unless you are willing to &quot;pay&quot; for a standard award, which is twice the miles of the cheaper award). I just booked DH for a standard award (100,000mi) for a trip next week from ORD to FRA. He was not able to select dates for his trip until all details of a business deal were confirmed. The price for a purchased seat was crazy! If you book a standard award ticket, there are no blackout dates or seating limitations, and he had plenty of miles to use. It was really a no-brainer. This is on UA.

I also booked a standard award ticket from ORD to BKK for a friend who is traveling there with me (July). The price for an economy cheapest ticket was $1700!! I paid less than that for my upgradeable ticket! Anyway, the $1700 was too expensive, but the friend had the miles for the free standard award ticket... so it's booked and we're ready to go!!

For me, I never (I know, never say never) use ff miles for a free ticket. I always want to upgrade to business or first class. I don't do well in cramped quarters in economy because I'm tall, and I don't sleep in those economy seats at all!

BTW, I'm upgraded using miles for the PIA to HNL September GTG trip. I used miles since I don't have enough of those 500-mile e-upgrades available right now. I've still got lots of miles left, and will EARN lots more for both upcoming flights. If I travel on a free ticket, I don't earn any miles.

mrwunrful, I'm going to check out your suggestion on UA, since that's who I always fly. Looks interesting!

Nutella, if you are not a very frequent flier on UA (premier or premier exec status), you will not be able to &quot;see&quot; the seats that are available in premium economy on their web site. Since I'm PE, I can see all available seating when I book a ticket.

Carol

Kathie

mrwunrful, thanks for the great info on re-setting my united.com search! That is very helpful. Once I'm ready to buy my tickets I always call and get them to book the upgraded tickets over the phone so I make sure I get them, but this will be great for exploring date options. I have been able to book just a month or two ahead of time and get upgraded tickets, but those have been off-seaon trips when I had some date flexibility.

Nutella

Aha Carol, that explains why the flight is so full! Of all my overseas trips, I think this is the first time ever on United, so I have no privileges with them. But I'm earning miles on my USAir FF (I think).

hawaiiantraveler

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

Thanks Bill, till now I would have to check the b/c seats every day for the flight I wanted to see how many seats had sold. If a couple would start to go, I would buy because I didn't have a way to tell how many upgrades were available. I can hold on to my money a little longer now thanks to you. Mahalo!

Aloha!

hawaiiantraveler

mrwnrfl,

just checked the days I wanted for our flights and they were NC9 and NC7. Funny but the NC7 flight didn't have any seats gone from b/c but was not NC9. It is on a Japanese holiday though, that's probably why. So I can wait a while to purchase, thanks.

Is there a place that explains what all those other codes mean that also pop up?

Aloha!