As you dive deeper into the world of factors and miles, you will shortly understand that there is extra to upgrades and award redemptions than meets the attention. Generally, bookable associate flights do not seem on-line, and telephone brokers might not have the correct coaching to navigate complicated itineraries and partnerships.
Luckily, there are instruments that may make award redemptions simpler. On this information, we’ll present you easy methods to use ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s guardian firm, Crimson Ventures) to search out award area and simplify reserving your dream journey.
We’ll share the fundamentals of ExpertFlyer and supply step-by-step directions on utilizing the instrument to search out award area and set alerts.
ExpertFlyer fundamentals
ExpertFlyer at the moment provides three plans, together with one free choice. Every plan has entry to totally different options — this is a fast overview:
- Free: Set an alert to inform you when a extra fascinating seat opens up in your flight. You are restricted to 1 free alert at a time, although you’ll be able to add extra for 99 cents every.
- Primary ($4.99 monthly or $49.99 per 12 months): Gives extra options, equivalent to award and improve stock search and flight availability (together with fare buckets). You possibly can set 4 seat alerts without delay, however you are restricted to 250 month-to-month queries.
- Premium ($9.99 monthly or $99.99 per 12 months): Contains extra versatile search choices, limitless queries, 200 seat alerts at a time, plane change alerts and the flexibility to create as much as 200 flight availability alerts.
You could find nearly something you want about airline schedules, seat maps, flight statuses and award availability utilizing ExpertFlyer. These are necessary instruments to maintain in your frequent flyer toolbox, particularly should you’re reserving on the final minute and must lock in a selected flight.
The ExpertFlyer platform at the moment permits you to seek for this stock on 27 airways. Rigorously evaluate the listing to see what stock is out there on your desired airline — American Airways, for instance, reveals each award and improve area for its flights. Whereas United Airways and Delta Air Traces aren’t listed on ExpertFlyer, you’ll be able to test award and improve availability on different U.S. carriers, equivalent to Alaska Airways, Hawaiian Airways and JetBlue. Additional, you’ll be able to seek for award area on worldwide airways like Air France, Air Canada and Qantas, amongst others.
Discovering award seats and setting award alerts
Let’s dive proper into discovering award area. Earlier than beginning, guarantee you may have a Primary or Premium account, as free accounts can not run award searches. You possibly can join a free five-day Premium trial should you’re a brand new member.
Establishing your ExpertFlyer searches
After logging in to your account, choose the “Awards & Upgrades” instrument on the left-hand sidebar. You will instantly discover a number of search fields. Fill within the fundamentals, like your departure and arrival airports and departure and return dates. In the event you’re on the lookout for a one-way flight, maintain the return date empty.
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day e-newsletter
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
The Premium subscription is useful right here, because it permits you to search as much as three days earlier than or after your required journey date. This lets you view per week at a time and seek for a number of fare courses. Do that in case your dates are versatile, since you’ll be able to simply discover extra award area.
When you choose the airline you’d prefer to fly, you will see the fare courses that ExpertFlyer can search alongside an outline.
To seek for nonstop flights on ExpertFlyer, choose the “Direct/Non-Cease Solely” choice. You possibly can exclude codeshare flights should you’re solely within the particular airline you are looking for. When looking out throughout a number of dates, choose the “Present all dates on 1 display” choice to view all outcomes concurrently, making scrolling simpler.
Associated: The perfect web sites for looking out Oneworld award availability
Studying ExpertFlyer search outcomes
Click on the search button on the backside of the display to see an inventory of obtainable flights damaged down by date. Every flight choice will present the fare courses you looked for. Some airways — like American — will even present the variety of seats accessible in that class. Different airways will present “Sure” or “No”; the previous reveals if the flight has at the very least the variety of seats you looked for accessible.
The outcomes web page will even present you connecting choices (should you do not restrict it to nonstop flights) accessible on your itinerary.
After getting the date, flight quantity and fare class, you’ll be able to e book your flight on-line. If the flight would not present on the airline’s web site, name the airline and provides the consultant the precise data on the flight(s) you discovered. They are able to e book it for you.
If the flight you are trying to e book would not have the fare class you need, you’ll be able to choose the highest sq. with an exclamation level to set an alert. In the event you set an alert, ExpertFlyer will e-mail you as quickly as a seat is launched.
Associated: Keep away from charges: Learn how to change and cancel airline award tickets
Establishing ExpertFlyer seat alerts
With ExpertFlyer’s seat alert characteristic, you will be notified if particular seats in your flight turn into accessible after organising an alert. This may be useful should you’re caught in a center seat or a windowless window seat. As a substitute of manually checking for a greater seat day by day, ExpertFlyer does the legwork for you.
To open a seat map and create an alert, choose the “Seat Map” choice from the left-hand toolbar. Then, enter your flight particulars within the kind on the middle of the display. You will want your origin and vacation spot airports, departure date, airline and flight quantity.
On this case, I solely chosen economic system class as a result of my reservation was booked in economic system. First-class seat alerts aren’t useful right here as a result of even when a first-class seat turns into accessible, I would not be capable of choose it with out paying for an improve.
I can set a seat alert by clicking “Create Seat Alert” and utilizing the “Choose Particular Seats” characteristic. Then I can select to be alerted when any window, aisle or exit-row seat opens, when any two seats collectively open or when a selected seat turns into accessible.
Associated: Learn how to use ExpertFlyer alerts to snag a greater seat on the airplane
An actual-world instance of utilizing ExpertFlyer to e book an award
Alaska Airways Atmos Rewards is certainly one of my favourite loyalty packages, largely due to its discounted associate award charges for short-haul flights.
If you wish to e book a short-haul home flight on American Airways for 4,500 Atmos Rewards factors, you’ll be able to test award area for American Airways on ExpertFlyer by heading to the “Awards & Upgrades” web page. As soon as there, enter your search standards and choose “Coach – Saver Award (T)” as the category you are serious about reserving. You can even seek for availability for the three days earlier than and after your specified departure date in case your plans aren’t solidified. Moreover, you’ll be able to specify nonstop flights solely.
This is a pattern search from Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on American Airways in early June.
There are seven seats accessible on June 7, indicated by the quantity “7” within the “Seats” column. At this level, you’d wish to be aware of the flight data and e book with Alaska Airways via your Atmos Rewards account.
Associated: Redeem your factors and miles: Learn how to search flight award availability for the foremost airways
ExpertFlyer restrictions
Most award seat availability proven on ExpertFlyer will likely be on the saver stage for all packages, so the flights you discover ought to be bookable utilizing any associate program’s foreign money. For instance, should you discover award area on a Turkish Airways flight via ExpertFlyer, it is best to be capable of e book it via United MileagePlus or Air Canada Aeroplan since all three airways are Star Alliance companions.
The most important draw back to utilizing ExpertFlyer is the airways it lacks. Earlier, we talked about the service may seek for award and improve area for 27 airways. Years in the past, ExpertFlyer supported 87 carriers. This discount of supported airways is disappointing, although ExpertFlyer can nonetheless make your journey life a lot simpler on the airways it helps — particularly should you steadily fly with American Airways.
Associated: 7 of the most effective airline candy spots to redeem your factors and miles
ExpertFlyer fast suggestions
Now that you know the way to make use of ExpertFlyer, listed below are just a few fast tips about easy methods to get essentially the most from the instrument. Hold the following tips in thoughts, and you will save a ton of time as you employ ExpertFlyer to search out nice award tickets:
- If accessible, choose your most well-liked departure time when looking for award flights. ExpertFlyer reveals a restricted variety of outcomes, so on fashionable routes with a number of day by day flights, some frequencies might not seem, even when award area is out there. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to solely do that with some supported airways.
- Premium subscribers can use the “Saved Question” characteristic to simply return to a earlier search.
- When switching your search dates, use the “Refine Search” button fairly than the again button. This can maintain the search fields (like airports and dates) intact.
- Try the “New To ExpertFlyer?” web page for in-depth movies on utilizing the platform’s numerous options.
Associated: 6 award chart candy spots that may prevent cash on home flights
Backside line
Discovering airline award area, particularly in premium courses, may be an artwork kind (and a difficult one at that). These days, there are various partnerships inside and throughout airline alliances, and a few web sites and telephone brokers are higher at discovering accessible seats than others. That mentioned, information is energy on the planet of factors and miles, and that is what ExpertFlyer gives.
Studying easy methods to set seat alerts via ExpertFlyer may also help you escape a less-than-ideal seat or discover two seats collectively. Regardless of the latest lower in supported airways, ExpertFlyer stays a strong instrument for vacationers.
Supply hyperlink
