If you’re planning a points trip a year from now, you may have searched for flights and wondered why nothing is showing up. It might not be an award availability problem at all. The airline may simply not have opened its schedule yet.

Airlines only allow you to book flights a certain number of days into the future, and every airline does things a little differently. Knowing when that booking window opens matters, especially if you have fixed dates, are traveling during a busy season, or are trying to find several award seats for your family.

 

When Do Airlines Open Their Schedules?

Here are approximate booking windows for some of the airlines we use and talk about most often. These can change, so I always recommend checking the airline before planning an important booking around a particular date.

Airline	Schedule Opens Approximately
Alaska Airlines	331 days
American Airlines	331 days
Delta Air Lines	331 days
JetBlue	331 days
Southwest Airlines	6-8 months, in batches
United Airlines	337 days

 

 

Airline	Schedule Opens Approximately
Air Canada	355 days
Air France/KLM	359 days
ANA	355 days
British Airways	355 days
Emirates	328 days
Iberia	360 days
JAL	360 days
Lufthansa	360 days
Qatar Airways	361 days
Singapore Airlines	355 days
Turkish Airlines	355 days
Virgin Atlantic	331 days

 

Why Does This Matter for Award Travel?

If you need four business-class seats to Europe during summer vacation, you need to be thinking about that trip well before six months out. Knowing roughly when the schedule opens tells you when you can start looking seriously. This is even more important when your dates aren’t flexible. If you need to fly on June 12 because your cruise leaves June 13, put the approximate schedule-opening date on your calendar and start checking around that time.

But there’s one important thing to remember: the schedule opening doesn’t mean saver award seats will automatically be available.

An airline might release great award availability when its schedule opens, or it might release very few seats. Additional award seats can show up months later or even very close to departure. I think of the schedule opening as the beginning of my search, not necessarily the day I have to book. But it definitely helps when you know when to start looking.

 

Don’t Forget About Partner Booking Windows

Award travel adds another wrinkle. The airline operating the flight and the loyalty program you’re using to book it may have different booking windows.

For example, JAL opens its own international award reservations 360 days before departure. But if you’re hoping to book that JAL flight through a partner program, that program may not be able to book a flight 360 days out yet. That is why we sometimes have to keep looking beyond when the schedule opens up.

 

 

 

Your Return Flight May Not Be Available Yet

Here’s another easy thing to miss. If you’re planning a two-week vacation and your outbound flight becomes bookable today, your return flight may not become bookable for another two weeks. If you’re searching round-trip, that can make it look as though your trip isn’t available. Searching each direction separately makes it much easier to see what’s happening.

I may or may not book that outbound flight immediately, but at least I know why the return isn’t showing up yet. I often book the outbound flight first and wait to book the return flight.

 

Bottom Line

Knowing when schedules open doesn’t mean you need to set an alarm for every trip and book the second the calendar opens. (Although Jess has had great luck doing that for business-class seats). It simply gives you a head start.

For an important trip, I’ll figure out which airlines could work, which points I could use, and approximately when those schedules will open. Then I start watching. If I find an award I’m happy with, and the cancellation rules are favorable, I’ll often book it and continue looking. Something better may appear later—a lower award price, a nonstop flight, or even business-class availability.

There isn’t one perfect time to book every award flight. But knowing when the schedule opens tells you when the hunt can begin.

 

Related Posts

Booking One-Way Award Segments

Tips for Finding Business-Class Award Availability

Podcast 197. How To Find Saver Award Availability and Book Flights for Fewer Points