Dick, I understand what you are saying
But what I was trying to point out was the difference in using sky saver and sky choice, not about being waitlisted, but about booking 1st class right out
I do understand the guy who spends the most comes out on top
ie...hubby can come out smelling like a rose....and I'm just that thorn....he's a million miler.......i'm not!!

Nancy, I always visit AA.com first to see what flights are available before I call American Airlines about using mileage for my seats...that way I know which flights I prefer, sometimes the "clerk" doesn't check all the possibilities - if you have the screen in front of you when you call, it may enable you to take a flight w/ fewer layovers (Be prepared)

Just a quick question.....Which credit cards are the best for getting FF miles?

Nancy, I'm pretty sure you'll need the points to be in the FF Miles account you'll be using before you can redeem them for ticket(s). Certainly was that way a couple of years ago.

I also noticed last month that AA now lets you redeem miles for awards via its website - no more endless phone calls !! Think CO does the same.
Good hunting.
Paul

Nancy,
I also have to transfer my points from my Amex acct to my FF acct. I always call the airline and have them hold my reservation until I can get my points transfered. Delta will hold your res. for 2 weeks. Hope this helps.

I want to use Continental FF award. I know it is tough to get them. According to you, it is wise to call one minute after midnight. I know Cont. has at least 3 centers: Houston, Florida & Denver ( or Salt Lake). My question is: Which timezone to wait and call ? I wait until midnight East Coast time to call just in case some one from Florida center picks up the phone?

Thanks,

Hanalei:
It will be midnight first in Florida, of the three reservation centers you named. Try there first. Seems as though no matter which center you call, they're all booking a very limited number of seats on the same airplane.

Dear Hmmm,
I realize that it will be midnight first in Florida. However, when you call the 800 number, you have no idea how your call is routed. So you can dial a few times and not be directed to Florida. That's what I am trying to say. So hopefully if I am trying to call I will get Florida in about several calls.

The Continental OnePass service center to call for reward travel only opens at 7 am central time. It does not matter if you call on the first minute 330 days out; CO does not generally release Business First seats on Hawaii routes (or any desirable routes for that matter) at the 330 day window; other airlines seem to release several seats at the 330 day window; so first come first served, but CO does not seem to. There is a not really a set time or day as to when Co releases FF seats. For reward travel, CO seems to be one of the worst for redeeming miles at the 'standard' level.

I was able to book first class direct from Newark using Continental standard reward miles. However, the only way I was able to do this was by tailoring my travel dates to the very few (in fact it seemed like the only) available seats. After having some problems with the online rewards booking, the person at the rewards desk advised me that it's always better to call.

njryk - How many days ahead of your trip did you book?

we're using FF to hawaii in october- my husband just called continental and delta to see what they could do for him, and delta gave him the best deal- we used FF and Amex points. the only concession we made was to leave a day earlier than we planned, so we arrive late at night in oahu, and have to stay at an airport hotel( a real cheapie) before we can take off for the BI the next morning. it is soooooooooo worth it.

Katherine... what class of service is used to book AAdvantage First Class?
I always book my own flights to HNL using "T" class. I start at the beginning of the desired vc period and just scan the flights for enough T inventory to cover my need.
Nancy... if you have a friend who works for a GDS or a travel agent, they can assist in available dates. The inventory tends to be churned, ie, people holding reservation and cancelling them when something better comes up. I have booked trips to HNL using FF miles a month in advance... but I was monitoring the inventory on a daily basis.

Nancy,

I'm pretty sure you need to have points already in your account in order to use Delta's online award reservations. So in your case, you should call and make your reservations over the phone.

And it doesn't matter where the points come from. When you transfer your Amex points into the airline's ff program, Amex will pay the airline for those miles. What does sometimes matter is whether you hold any elite status with that airline and what tier your status level is. Some airlines (I think CO is one of them) allows their top tier elites access to more award inventory than lower tier or non-elites. I think that was what Dick was referring to.

We just got back usnig FF Delta miles for first class. We only booked our flight 4 months in advance. I found out the best thing to do is book your trip in segments then call the online help desk and have them put it all together for you. I booked 6 first class seats but it took me a couple ofe weeks booking segments. they hold the segments 24 hours and don't tell you that. Good luck..p.s. the food in first class still was gross..they don't heat anything up anymore

Alana, I'm confused on what you mean by booking in segments. Does that mean one ticket at a time? How does that help? Thanks for your clarification.

I'm happy to say I was able to score two first class seats to Honolulu for July/August 2004. I think what Alana means is what we just did: we called Northwest 330 days before our departure date to book that and then they held our return flight for two weeks so I could book it 330 days in advance as well. I had 48 hours to call and confirm the whole deal or it would have been cancelled.

But she booked 4 months in advance, not 330 days in advance. So I'm still confused on how booking in segments 4 months in advance can help. Do you book the departure flight and then book the return flight when one comes available?