re: How to get the most out of 100k AMEX pts?

quote:

---

I can find routes but it always says waitlisted for biz class. Do those usually clear?

---

They do not and I would recommend against booking those.

I have no idea what the situation is with COVID and Japan still being effectively closed, but when I booked I was able to identify a pattern of availability. For example, outbound to Japan on a certain segment was available on Tues, Friday, Saturday every week. On a different return segment, different days (important when your spouse has specific date demands). A route could have a ton of outbound space but next to none inbound and vice versa, so gateway city flexibility is a must. Wikipedia is perfect for this, got to Tokyo Haneda/Narita page - airlines and destination - find ANA and see what US cities they fly to and work them all.

Also, there are quirks. Always start with the segment that matters, which is Tokyo - US Gateway airport and work from there. Don't try to do Lubbock to Tokyo.

Lastly, when I was booking Turkish Air with ANA after Japan fell through from COVID, Turkish moved my flight and messed up my itinerary so I went back to searching again the way I stated above, JFK-IST and nothing showed up. But when I did JFK-ZAG I got both segments to show.

It can be frustrating but you have to think creatively sometimes. I can only guess the segments were "married."

Lastly there is a new service at the address "point.me" that is aiming to make this easier.

Note: if you book with an ANA account you get access 350 days out vs booking with a partner (United for example) on ANA, which is 330 days out. An extra 20 day advantage can be the difference.