Is Everyone flying on Northwest?!?!?!?

[hjohnson6]

I have been playing with dates on the Northwest website and I can't seem to get decent flights using my frequent flier miles. I really don't want to buy 4 airplane tickets. <sigh>

 

[GEB@okw]

I have been playing with dates on the Northwest website and I can't seem to get decent flights using my frequent flier miles. I really don't want to buy 4 airplane tickets. <sigh>

I always try to fly NWA. Second choice is Continental, third is Delta. The combined frequent flyer program and elite status is great....

 

[jekjones1558]

I have always had poor luck using NWA FF miles for flights. If you are willing to fly weird hours or do connecting flights or use lots of miles for rule-buster, you might get tickets. That has been my experience. Others may have had better luck.

 

[CPer'sMom]

I have always had poor luck using NWA FF miles for flights. If you are willing to fly weird hours or do connecting flights or use lots of miles for rule-buster, you might get tickets. That has been my experience. Others may have had better luck.

ITA ~ NWA is the worst for trying to use your miles! Always has been.

 

[bavaria]

try booking 2 tickets on one flight, 2 tickets on another. Then have the party on the later flight same day standby for the earlier flight on the day of travel.

Worst case scenario you'll split up your party onto 2 different flights

Or if you can only get 2 tickets using miles, pay for 2 and use the other 2 at a later date/time.

For all the grumbling we see about using FF miles, I use mine all the time - usually VERY last minute for very popular destinations. I use them for MCO flights all the time. I flew home to Munich last year during World Cup, the busiest time for travel to Germany in a long time.

 

[MN Dis Fans]

I use frequent flier miles (standard award rate) for all of our flights to Orlando on NW. You can book as early as 352 days out, so I start watching availability on line at that point. It helps to have a little bit of flexibility. Weekends have less availability than flying during mid-week. So there might not be availability Saturday / Sunday, but if you can go on a Monday - Thursday there is. I've also noticed there are a lot less "direct" flights available. They tend to make you fly an obscure route to make it as inconvenient as possible, so you will "rulebust" route using more miles. The other time I find seat availability on normal rates is just prior to the 90-day mark. (but only when there are a lot of seats they haven't sold). I fly 100,000 miles a year with NW (so am lucky? enought to hold Platinum status with them), so I book the obscure route, and if they change my booked flight timings by more than an hour or so, (they do it ever year), I call and complain that they've changed my flight times, and I have always managed to get the direct route. (Except Once) <- The DW wasn't excited about having to stop off in DTW, but I said what other loving DH would stop off in DTW just so they can have supper in a different city? I'm not sure she liked my logic?