Not exact matches
It's
also probably worth noting that, if you're happy to take connecting flights, the
award availability looks even
better (although some of the aircraft may not be the greatest on the short - haul flights).
Chicago actually has even
better availability than Los Angeles because Business Class
awards are
also available in January.
The aircraft
also offers a Premium Economy cabin which, considering how little seat - width the seats in Economy Class offer, may be a
good compromise if Business Class is expensive or if Business Class
award availability is non-existent.
They provide a
good resource for looking up
award availability on many carriers that are
also partners of Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, and British Airways
also runs a decent loyalty program, Executive Club, which may be of interest to people who live outside of the United Kingdom.
The 777 - 300 offers 52 Business Class seats while the Dreamliner has just 28 so, not only is the route losing First Class, it will
also see a significant drop in Business Class capacity from 15 December — that's not
good for prices or for
award availability.
Also, miles SAAver
availability on American Airlines (the type of
award availability you'll need if you're to use Avios to book) is not
good at all so don't consider buying Avios in this promotion unless you can already see
award availability for your dates online.
It's
also worth noting that even though ExpertFlyer does carry Aer Lingus
award inventory, it may not be the
best tool for researching that
availability.
Cardholders
also get
better award availability than non-cardholders, which could come in especially handy now that the holiday travel season is upon us.
Singapore
also offers discounts and
better award availability on
awards when you use Krisflyer miles instead of miles from other programs.
The two challenges are that they're a member of Skyteam, so their partners aren't as
good and don't often offer as
good award availability as some of their competitors, and
also that you have to deal with the idiosyncrasies of Korean — rules like only redeeming your points for family members.
Elites
also get
better award availability.
Also, every airline releases
award seats at different times, so it is a little tough to predict when the
best time is to search for
availability.