I’ve always known that the key to award travel is flexibility. The best deals are on seats that are going to go unsold. An airline doesn’t always know what seats those are, and may play it conservative not releasing award space until very close to departure. And even then they may be reluctant, worried that someone might redeem miles instead of spending big money on a ticket.

Right now uncertainty is even greater for airlines. How many people will be traveling? Will there be any business travelers, or will it be all leisure? Will there be restrictions on actually flying to a destination? Or perhaps restrictions on the number of flights a week that can be offered?

Maybe an airline plans to operate a flight today, but new Covid-19 variants will dampen demand and cause them to reduce the number of flights – and they don’t want to have given away all the seats on miles.

So while there are many empty flights and great miles deals, those seem to come and go, and it can be tough to find great award space when you need it. That’s even more true if you’re traveling with a family.

• Finding one award seat is easier than finding two (Cf. ANA first class)
  
• Finding two award seats is easier than finding more than two
  
• So finding award space for a family can be a challenge – add in that you may be restricted in when you can travel because of school dates and family award redemption is one of the hardest feats in miles and points

So I’ll often highlight great routes and opportunities not just to redeem miles but to redeem miles for four or more passengers. Here are (3) such opportunities right now.

Boston – Tokyo for 4 passengers in business class on Japan Airlines September 2022 through end of schedule. Redeem American AAdvantage miles, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, etc. You can use the flight to connect beyond Tokyo, of course, and maybe it’ll even be possible to visit without quarantine 9 months from now?

Chicago – Zurich for 4 passengers in business class on SWISS January-February 2022. Redeeming Swiss business class with partner miles can sometimes be a challenge, but Europe is nominally open to most Americans and you can connect beyond Zurich. Use miles in a United or Air Canada account, or other Star Alliance program, and since Chicago O’Hare is a United hub you may be able to add connecting flights in the U.S. as well.

New York JFK – Zurich for 4 passengers in business class on SWISS January – March 2022. There’s a wider period of availability via the New York gateway.

Saver awards in international business class are – in my view – what miles and points are all about, and certainly what miles and points as credit card rewards are all about (or else you’re probably better off with cash back for your ongoing spend).

If you’re looking for travel for four or more people, here’s a handful of opportunities right now, that probably won’t last.