Checking availability

Is there a way of checking the availability of reward flights online?

I would like to book a companion reward in UC from LGW to MCO for a trip almost anytime in 2009! - I'm very flexible on dates and duration but the flying club only seem to be able to look up 3 days at a time and then only to be told there's no return flights. It's taken me hours on the phone to discover there's nothing in April, May, June or September and I'm running out of patience. The phone operators don't seem to be pro-active or co-operative in any way when looking up any dates unless you ask specifically. Bl**dy annoying.

So I need an online way of checking reward availability ... [?]

[Decker]

Just try and make a booking 'spending miles' it will then suggest available dates to you.

[Neil]

The only way to do it online is on the VS site and to try and book dummy rewards on various dates. It is time consuming and very frustrating and to be honest I have found FC easier and helpful.

Getting rewards in the premium cabins on the MCO route is VERY hard, and even in Feb we couldn't get a round trip reward and had to use miles out and a Z back. Good luck but don't pin everything on being able to use your miles.

quote:Just try and make a booking 'spending miles' it will then suggest available dates to you.

Thank you for the replies, unfortunately, this trick only checks one day at a time and takes about 15 seconds before it tells you it's not available and to start again trying another day. By my reckoning that would take more than 5 hours online to look at 2009!

Is this companion reward voucher just a shabby con?

Further to the above...
You're right [:w]
It will suggest other dates - but only if there's one available within the month you choose.
Otherwise it gives no clue that it's searching other dates. [:(!]

Thank you [y]

quote:Originally posted by Capt.Pag
Is this companion reward voucher just a shabby con?




If you do a search you will find lots of threads about the worth (lessness) of the voucher. As you'll need to buy an unrestricted J UC fare, in the majority of cases it's a complete waste of time to use the voucher for a G fare. 2x R/Zs usually work out as cheap (if not cheaper) and you'll earn miles and tier points on both paid for fares.BA offer a 'true' companion voucher, so in answer to your question, yes it is IMHO a bit of a shabby con.

[HighFlyer]

quote:Originally posted by Capt.Pag
It will suggest other dates - but only if there's one available within the month you choose.
Otherwise it gives no clue that it's searching other dates. [:(!]


You should be able to 'scroll' through the months if it shows you other available dates. What i usually do is search for UC miles seats departing on Fridays/Saturdays (as usually there is only availiability midweek) and I am then usually presented with the two calendars showing available G's inbound and outbound for that month or months. I then scroll through the months to see what is available over a period of time. I just tried this for LGW-MCO departing on 7th December, returning 25th Jan. It does show a few G's over the Jan-March period actually, e.g; depart Sun 1st March, return 8th March. MCO is one of the hardest routes to find reward availibility but I can see a fair few, just perhaps not at the time of year the majority want to go.

Thanks,
Sarah

Just FYI - get your reward flights booked early because I've noticed that on one route specifically being able to book reward flights in October for July next year is like finding a nugget of gold!!

As others point out, choose your dates you want to fly on, and if there is availability, you will be given the option to show flights. If not, the calendars are shown with the available and unavailable dates in different colours (and the option to choose of course).

S.

OK, the trick I've now developed is to just tap in a flight that is out on the 10th and returning on the 24th of any month. If there is any availability at all during that month then you'll get the calendar view with which to choose.

The problem I was having was that if you are looking through days in months without any availability then you never get to see the calendar and there's no clue that it checked anything other than the date you requested. If this is the first time you've used the system it's very frustrating.

Just shabby web design then? [n]