🇫🇮 How To Book oneworld Award Flights One Day Early

Hello, and Happy Tuesday!

This is a special newsletter edition that will go out on select Tuesdays. It’s more of a personal experience or story which I hope to share some of the learnings I’ve taken from it. Enjoy!

🇫🇮 How to book oneworld award flights one day early

Booking award flights on some oneworld partner airlines, like Japan Airlines, can be notoriously challenging. The difficulty increases when specific partners, such as British Airways, receive award availability several days later than others.

While searching for award availability on the Japan Airlines route from Tokyo to London, I stumbled upon a nifty trick that might just give you an edge.

Here’s the backdrop: I was planning my return from Tokyo to the UK next summer. A few months ago, Japan Airlines announced that they would introduce their new A350-1000s on the London route by the end of this fiscal year, featuring a completely redesigned cabin—something I am eager to experience.

My initial attempt to book the flight a few days earlier had been frustrating. I found the perfect flight—right route, desired aircraft, and two available seats in business class. I planned to book through Finnair, leveraging their use of Avios, since they gain access to JAL/oneworld availability a full week before British Airways does.

Unfortunately, despite my efforts, I couldn’t link my Finnair and British Airways accounts to transfer the Avios, all thanks to a missing SMS for two-factor authentication. By the morning, the seats were no longer available. Disappointing, to say the least.

Several days later, I revisited the search but found no available seats. However, I noticed something intriguing—the calendar showed the furthest date slightly greyed out, suggesting limited visibility or availability.

Driven by curiosity, I tinkered with the URL by manually changing the date parameters. To my surprise, upon hitting enter, the hidden flights loaded, showing full availability one day later than previously available!

This little URL adjustment might just be your secret weapon in securing your next award flight on oneworld airlines, particularly with partners like Japan Airlines.

Final Words

That’s all for this one! I hope this provides some value for you.

Safe travels, and always aim for the upgrade!

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Bye for now!