Delta FF Miles - Anyone ever successful using them?

[SalandJeff]

We have enought Delta FF miles for 2 rt tickets. Has anyone ever had success using their ff miles? Whenever I have checked in the past, there were never any seats available with miles. How far in advance to you need to book to use them? Thanks for any tips so we can make use of these.

 

[clkelley]

At the very earliest possible time, and even then, the flight times are never ideal

 

[Maine-iac]

We have enought Delta FF miles for 2 rt tickets. Has anyone ever had success using their ff miles? Whenever I have checked in the past, there were never any seats available with miles. How far in advance to you need to book to use them? Thanks for any tips so we can make use of these.

Both times were successful for us. First time was in March 3 or 4 years ago. DH was going to Phoenix for work. He was able to get me on his flights using his Delta skymiles about 2 weeks from travel date. Second time was for late January this year. I was able to get seats for a solo trip to Orlando using DH's miles. Booked my flight in late November of last year.

I would think it depends on where and when you are going. Obviously popular destinations and peak travel times will be difficult.

 

[deltachi8]

I just booked a ticket from Buffalo to Houston in October using my skymiles. The trick was to be creative. I had to fly into Houston Hobby and the fly back from George Bush Airport to get it to work.

I have booked Buffalo to Orlando before about 5 months out.

Flight times do change often with Delta, so don't hold anything in stone, booked or not.

 

[CarolA]

I am fairly successful using the LATE booking method. I tend to book a month or two in advance and things do sometimes open up. No gurantees.

 

[Devil_Dog99]

I have booked my last three Disney trips no problem. Two years ago I had to take the higher ticket (50k miles) because I booked only a couple months out. Last two years I booked as soon as I could (330 days out) and got the lower cost mileage tickets.

As has been said, it all depends on where and when you are going as to availability of any seats or any 25k seats. Ex. - I am looking into BOS-OMA in October and I could get two 25k seats no problem. Trying to book BOS-LAS end of May for an end of June trip only had 50k seats available or 25k seats at inopportune times.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Ah, but 'inopportune' could also be considered 'creative'

The half-'price' Delta was charging back in the fall of 2001 notwithstanding (e.g. I was able to book a First Class BOS-LAS trip with no problem) - in 2005 I wanted to use Delta Miles to go to DisneyLand for my birthday, but couldn't find anything on the weekends. By leaving a day earlier, and returning late on a Thursday night, I had no problem getting seats.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've had great luck using our DL FF miles. But we always use them for things like bringing our grandchildren up to see us, not for our own travel. If you are flexible in your travel dates (and not going during a peak travel time) you should be able to get your tickets for the SkySaver 25,000 points.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

We got 3 tickets to Barcelona using Skymiles although we had to fly out of Tampa rather than Orlando. Orlando is extremely difficult because of some rodent!

BobK/Orlando

 

[a1tinkfans]

I have NEVER been able to use our Delta FF miles (out of NY) despite trying for over 2 years at various times. And I mean MANY MANY times trying, even with their "share airlines." Mostly they make you either get connections and turn a 2 hour trip into 8 OR they want you to visit a place totally off season and be happy about planning it 1 year out, CRAZY! So, our two international roundtrip tix still wait and wait till we are LUCKY enough to work something out, or have them expire, UGH! Personally would not fly Delta unless I was absolutely forced too. No fan here!
I'm a Southwest junkie now and just used our 2 free r/t for upcoming Disney va-k-tion, getting the dates, times and non stop flights, can't beat it!

 

[NancyIL]

I booked my 2006 Thanksgiving WDW trip online in January 2006 using FF miles. In September, Delta pulled out of our airport - so I ended up leaving from an airport an hour away, Every time the flight times changed by even a minute -I lost my seat assignment. I was ready to cancel my Delta reservation because of all the hassles and buy a cheap ticket on Southwest, but then I'd still have those darn Delta miles hanging over my head for a future trip!

 

[a1tinkfans]

I booked my 2006 Thanksgiving WDW trip online in January 2006 using FF miles. In September, Delta pulled out of our airport - so I ended up leaving from an airport an hour away, Every time the flight times changed by even a minute -I lost my seat assignment. I was ready to cancel my Delta reservation because of all the hassles and buy a cheap ticket on Southwest, but then I'd still have those darn Delta miles hanging over my head for a future trip!

EXACTLY where I am, still hanging over my head and expiring next year, so off to a small shopping spree to extend my miles for the POSSIBILITY that we can SOMEHOW get to use those stink'n miles!
*a simple small purchase will extend the miles by 2 years, so thats what I did, JUST IN CASE*

 

[SalandJeff]

I am no longer a big fan of Delta either. But for free, I'll fly them. I just have never had success trying to book. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.

I do have 2 other questions after reading the posts....

If your miles are going to expire, do you have to book before the expiration, or fly before the expiration?

Once you are able to book your seats with ff miles, can they bump you from the flight, and if so what happens (especially if your miles were set to expire)?

Thanks.

 

[NancyIL]

I am no longer a big fan of Delta either. But for free, I'll fly them. I just have never had success trying to book. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.

I do have 2 other questions after reading the posts....

If your miles are going to expire, do you have to book before the expiration, or fly before the expiration?

Once you are able to book your seats with ff miles, can they bump you from the flight, and if so what happens (especially if your miles were set to expire)?

Thanks.

You have to book your flights before the miles expire. I have never been bumped from a flight when using FF miles.

 

[monorailsilver]

Yep, we went to Hawaii on them in 2000.

My dh called (he was my DFi then) on the 330-ish day out mark for the flight there. Then he had to call 2 weeks later for the return & then he had to call the day after for the return from Atlanta to Hartford since it was the next day.

But we got the flights we wanted.

 

[RAD]

Going to WDW 5/3/08 to 5/8/08. Checked Delta on 6/28 for AUS -> MCO ->AUS, nothing available for 25K. Checked again on 7/31, only outbound had three stops and took 7 hours 38 minutes. Had no problem book on AA using miles back on 6/28.

 

[erikthewise]

In 2004 I was able to get a FF ticket RT Cincinnati-Seattle for 25K miles. I did it at midnight exactly 331 days in advance. The next morning I checked again and there was no availability for 25K miles. Apparently they only had one seat set aside for FF use!

 

[SalandJeff]

Yep, we went to Hawaii on them in 2000.

My dh called (he was my DFi then) on the 330-ish day out mark for the flight there. Then he had to call 2 weeks later for the return & then he had to call the day after for the return from Atlanta to Hartford since it was the next day.

But we got the flights we wanted.

Hi Kerri - we are in CT also! I sent you a pm.

 

[klmall]

We have used our FF miles to fly many times in different ways. We've flown to MCO planning ahead at least nine months but we do that for WDW anyway. We planned too late for Hawaii but managed to get a cheaper ticket for one of us. Last year we flew practically at the last minute to Asheville. And right now we have enough miles again to fly somewhere TBD. But Delta seems to be cutting back on non-stop flights and we hesitate to depend upon them for future travel.

 

[BigTigger]

I've been using up my Delta Skymiles accumulated during a six year run at their Platinum level and it is tough to do, even when you are very, very flexible. I have found TPA is much easier to get tix to than MCO, but part of that is Delta still flies to TPA from BOS and BDL as a "business traveler" destination and didn't cut back the number of flights post Song as they did at the "tourist" MCO destination.

One other way to get flights almost anytime on Delta is to use 45K miles for first class - it's less than the 50K miles fly anytime coach override and is available on almost every direct flight as Delta doesn't seem to sell many first class seats in advance. They even have first class on a few of the newer regional jets.