Booking Airline Award Seats with Miles and Points Made Easy

Airlines have varied approaches through which they reward frequent flyer program members and also provide them the opportunity to redeem their earned points and miles. One such procedure is "Award Seats," also renowned as "Reward Seats," which comprises seats that can be booked using the miles or points that the member earned through its loyalty program. However, travelers face multiple issues when booking reward seats because they lack information about these seats and crucial components.

Read ahead to learn comprehensively about the airline's award seats, as this article contains all the indispensable elements of these seats, including the process to book them, the release dates of different airlines, and whatnot. Once you go through the passage below, booking a reward seat on the desired airline is no challenge for you. First, let's initiate with the airlines' award seats release dates:

Airlines Award Seats Release Dates

Here are the award seats release calendar of the most highly visited airlines, specifying the release dates as well as how far in advance you can book them:

Frequent Flyer Program

• American Airlines AAdvantage Program - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)
• United Airlines MileagePlus - 08/03/2026 (337 days in advance)
• Delta SkyMiles - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• Air Canada Aeroplan - 26/03/2026 (355 days in advance)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue - 30/03/2026 (359 days in advance)
• Aeroméxico Rewards - /03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• Virgin Australia Velocity - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)
• Avianca LifeMiles - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)

Star Alliance Airlines

• Air New Zealand - 26/03/2026 (355 days in advance)
• Lufthansa Airlines - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• United Airlines - 08/03/2026 (337 days in advance)
• EVA Air - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• Air India - 08/03/2026 (337 days in advance)
• Avianca Airlines - 26/03/2026 (355 days in advance)
• Copa Airlines - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• South African Airways - 29/03/2026 (358 days in advance)
• Singapore Airlines - 26/03/2026 (355 days in advance)
• Thai Airways - 10/03/2026 (339 days in advance)

OneWorld Airlines

• British Airways - 26/03/2026 (355 days in advance)
• American Airlines - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)
• Qatar Airways - 01/04/2026 (361 days in advance)
• Cathay Pacific - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• Japan Airlines - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• Iberia - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• Malaysia Airlines - 25/03/2026  (354 days in advance)
• Royal Air Maroc - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• SriLankan Airlines - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• Oman Air - 30/01/2026 (300-330 days in advance)

SkyTeam Airlines

• Aerolíneas Argentinas - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• Air Europa - 01/04/2026 (361 days in advance)
• Delta Air Lines - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• Middle East Airlines - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• Virgin Atlantic - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)
• China Airlines - 31/03/2026 (360 days in advance)
• ITA Airways - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)
• Korean Air - 02/03/2026 (331 days in advance)
• Saudia Airlines - 22/03/2026 (351 days in advance)
• Aeroméxico - 01/03/2026 (330 days in advance)

How do I book Award Seats?

Most frequent flyer program members face issues redeeming their miles, especially when it comes to booking award seats. The primary reason for this inconvenience is the lack of knowledge about the accurate procedure for booking reward seats. Though the booking process varies from airline to airline and may be influenced by multiple other factors, below is the most common method of award seat booking. Follow the steps below to book the desired seats using your miles/points:

• Browse the official website of the airline concerned to commence the procedure.
• Enter your credentials and click "Log In" to access your "Loyalty Program Account."
• By default, a flight booking section will appear on the home page under the "Book" tab.
• Fill out the section with the requested travel details and press the "Search" button.
• Select the desired flight from the provided options for your travel details to proceed further.
• Select "Miles/Points" as payment mode when you are redirected to the payment gateway.
• The airline will shortly notify you with a ticket confirmation email and the remaining miles balance.

How far in advance should I book my award travel?

The answer to this question varies depending on the airline you booked for your journey, the type of flight selected, your membership tier, and multiple other factors. As mentioned in the above section of 'Airlines Award Release Calendar,' you can book your award seat at least 300 to 330 days in advance. Please note that only Lufthansa Airlines long-haul First-class flights can be booked 30 days in advance, and long-haul Business-class flights can be reserved 85 days in advance, offering the most flexible booking option.

Why should you book reward seats in advance?

Loyalty program members eagerly await the airlines to launch award seats so that they can choose their desired seats without spending their money and utilize their miles efficiently. This is why it is suggested that you book the reward seats in advance in order to ensure you can choose your preferred seat without any hassle. Furthermore, the booking flexibility is the highest during bookings because most seats are vacant, allowing you to choose from a wide variety.

Are last-minute bookings suitable for award seats?

The above sections explicitly elaborate on the booking structure of award seats of varied airlines and how it can make your flight bookings significantly affordable and efficient. However, you may wonder whether it is suitable to book at the last minute for reward seat bookings. It is not recommended to book your award seat at the last moment because the availability of seats is extremely limited; in most cases, no seats are available. Furthermore, even the leftover seats will require higher points to purchase them, negatively impacting your miles balance and redemption. The last-minute bookings are also less flexible because of the limited choice of seats.

Which airlines provide the best award seats?

Though every airline aims to offer the best award seats to its frequent flyer program members, many travelers wonder which is the finest among all the airlines. The eligibility of the airline offering the most suitable award seat depends on multiple factors, such as your membership status in the airline's loyalty program, the route and destination of the flight, the type of flight selected, and many more. However, the following airlines are the most preferred ones by most passengers when aiming to buy reward seats:

• Virgin Atlantic
• Lufthansa Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• British Airways

How can you access the airline award seats easily?

The frequent flyer program members eagerly wait for the release of award seats so that they can redeem their points, save money, and make their flight journey much more affordable. However, due to such high demand, the reward seats are more likely to be exhausted before you can access them, missing an excellent opportunity to utilize your miles. No worries; here are some tips that will help you book the award seats effortlessly as well as affordably, making sure that you do not have to spend excessive miles for flight bookings. Let's uncover these points one by one:

• Search Filters: Many airlines provide advanced features, such as "Search Filters," in their booking section that allow travelers to fetch search results that are specific to their preferences and purpose. For example, you can enable the "Price "feature and select "Lowest to Highest" to view the most affordable award seats easily during flight bookings.
• Elite Membership: Award seats are only available to frequent flyer program members. Due to high demand, these seats vanish very quickly. However, members with an elite tier, higher miles/points, or both can benefit in such situations, as most airlines prioritize elite members and provide them with various allowances, such as greater seat choices.
• Book Inexpensive Cabin: The award seats of premium cabins, such as First or Business class, can be relatively expensive compared to other cabins. For budget-conscious travelers, it would be best to avoid the premium flight class and prefer seats in cheaper cabins, such as Economy and Premium Economy Class. It will also help you save miles.
• Newsletter Subscription: Being a subscribed member of the airline's newsletter helps you receive early notifications of the airline's late launches, trending offers, and exclusive deals compared to ordinary passengers. Being updated early about the award seat launches helps you access them much more quickly than an unsubscribed member and allows you to access them before they get exhausted.
• Flight Route and Destination: Many airlines provide affordable award seats to selected flight routes and destinations, primarily for international trips. So, please go through the airline's award seat guidelines to check seat rates for varied routes and destinations and choose the ones that suit your budget as well as travel plan.

Conclusion: Award seats are one of those topics that frequent flyer program members are extremely concerned about, as well as have numerous queries. The above passage focuses on providing the answers to the most commonly asked questions of loyalty program members regarding reward seats. It discusses multiple crucial elements, such as the booking process, how to access these seats quickly, and much more. Once you go through this article, you will not have any queries or issues booking the desired award seats.