Have Miles but Can't Get a Seat? How to Snare One

by Scott McCartney
Thursday, January 14, 2010

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Even though recession-weary consumers may want to cash in frequent-flier miles to get free trips and upgrades more than ever these days, it's gotten harder to snare those awards.

Continental Airlines, the only U.S. airline to report award redemptions monthly, says awards and upgrades claimed in its frequent-flier program were down 20% in the first 10 months of 2009 compared to the same months of 2008.

And this year may be even tougher. Since airlines aggressively reduced capacity through the economic downturn, they've filled flights fuller with paying customers and appear to have reduced availability of award seats and upgrades. As the economy picks up, passenger demand for seats will get tighter.

Best Times to Book Your 2010 Summer Vacation

By Christine Sarkis, SmarterTravel.com Staff

The post-holiday, early-winter doldrums provide an ideal time to start daydreaming about summer vacation. Whether that means a camping trip in a national park, some serious beach time, or a European jaunt, timing is everything when it comes to finding the best deals and availability.

But is booking early always the right approach? Here's the rundown on when and why to book summer cruises, vacation rentals, and trips to Europe and national parks.