Utilizing award release schedules can be daunting for many, whether you're a points novice trying to learn more about the space or a seasoned traveler aiming to optimize your mileage strategy further. However, if you're trying to secure rare award seats (think ANA first class), one of the best ways to do so is booking far in advance, even at the point of when award availability is just being released.
There is no simple strategy that encompasses everything, but by knowing when airlines release award availability and by having a flexible travel schedule, you might be able to secure some highly sought-after awards with little resistance! Roame helps make this process go faster by enabling you to quickly search for results across the board.
Two key things to note:
- Airlines release their award seats at varying timepoints
- Airlines can only book partner flights at varying timepoints
This means that while X airlines might release flights 361 days in advance, partner airline Y might only be able to book flights up to 331 days in advance. The implications are that those valuable seats might get scooped by in just that 30 day window.
The Basics of Award Release Timing
Understanding when airlines release award seats is foundational. Airlines typically make award seats available 330 to 360 days before departure. However, nuances exist, such as last-minute releases or additional allocations closer to the date, highlighting the importance of both early planning and spontaneity. While it's more difficult to predict when additional availability will arrive for "close-in" bookings (as in, knowing what flights will come available maybe 2 weeks before your flight), it's well established that airlines release award seats based on a well-defined schedule.
Popular Transfer Partners That Can Book Partner Awards:
Here's what we found for award release schedules for popular transfer partner airlines (you might find these numbers differ +/- 1 day for you given time zones). This table gives dates for when you can use your miles in these programs to book any kind of flight:
BRAND
Frequent Flyer Program
How Far In Advance You Can Search/Book
Date From Today
Aeromexico Club Premier
330
Aer Lingus AerClub
330
Air Canada Aeroplan
354
American AAdvantage
331
Alaska Mileage Plan
331
Avianca LifeMiles
355
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
359
ANA
355
British Airways
354
Cathay Pacific
354
Delta SkyMiles
331
Emirates
328
Etihad
330
EVA Air
360
Finnair
331
Iberia
359
Japan Airlines
360
JetBlue
331
Lufthansa
360
Qantas
353
Qatar Airways
361
Singapore Airlines
355
TAP Air Portugal
361
Thai Airways
339
Turkish Airlines
355
United MileagePlus
337
Virgin Atlantic
331
Please note that some dates may differ from other resources by 1 day. Our math works by taking today's date and then adding X days to the top, whereas other sources may add X days inclusive of today's date. For example, if today is 03/21/2024 and I say 1 more day, that is 03/22/2024. But others may say that 1 more day is 03/21/2024. Weird, but if you look at the date from today, you will have accurate info :)
If you're trying to book a partner flight using another airline's miles, take the lowest of the two numbers to know when the award will be soonest bookable. For instance, if you are trying to book an Air France/KLM flight using Delta SkyMiles, the soonest you'll be able to do that is in 331 days.
Other Airlines / Transfer Partners That Can't Book Partner Awards:
BRAND
Frequent Flyer Program
How Far In Advance You Can Search/Book
Date From Today
Frontier Airlines
293
Hawaiian Airlines
330
Southwest Airlines
Southwest releases flights in batches of about 2 months at a time, with new dates released every 4-10 weeks
n/a
Spirit Airlines
140* (as of 03/19/24)
Award Search Tools
Modern tools like Roame can help accelerate the award search process. When searching for awards, instead of flicking through each program individually, you can quickly and easily see if availability on the appropriate partners are available. For example, say I want to look far out and see the best options for a flight to Singapore from Los Angeles (at the time of this article, 365 days is May 20, 2024)
Knowing that Aeroplan releases award availability 354 days out, I conduct a live +/-3 day search using Roame, which allows me to quickly find significant early award availability.
Conclusion
Knowing and understanding when airlines release award availability for both their own and partner flights can give you an early edge when booking difficult-to-find award seats. By combining this knowledge with Roame, you can do a lot of cool things to maximize the value of your points, as long as you can plan far ahead and be flexible with your travel plans.
