tickets

Award Planner is one, for a fee of course.

 

There is also this company:

The Frequent Flyer Club


(Note I have no experience with using them ... and neither recommend or don't recommend their services).

Of course there are also special tools like FrequentFlyerFriend.com - Welcome that can assist with checking availability and monitoring availability on award seats.

 

.
Pip,


The main hassles are :-

1. Familiarity with qantas.com and its award booking system
2. Limitations to the itinerary that can be booked on the above
3. Pure availability of flights

The Multi-Destination option on the web site means that you can be fairly flexible about your itinerary, though this flexibility has come about through leg-by-leg charging so the required points are higher. If it can't do what you want then the only option is to call Qantas and cop the assisted booking fee.

But availability is the key, and although there are some automated tools that will alert you when segments become available, I find the most effective method (for the desperate) is to log in every waking hour. It's either that or travel to un-popular destinations at un-popular times.


Where are you trying to get to and when?


Cheers,

Andrew

.

 

Add to that....

- Book early
- Similar to less traveled routes, consider less popular flights, eg Day flights to Japan instead of night
- Look at days where the is a double up of flights for example 3 days a week to NRT there is 2 flights that leave 5 mins apart.

I generally have had no issues finding flights if booking in advance, 2 weeks before you can just about forget about it.

Evan

 

If you are alow stats flyer...ie Bronze.....either try and book just under a year in adavance (353 days....)...or look to only go in off-peak times.

To get an ide of what is available in the near term..

Frequent Flyer - Member Specials - Award Flight Opportunities Using Points