One Mile at a Time notes that first class awards to Australia on United appear wide open come April and May, 2009.

I noticed this over the weekend and apologize for not bringing this forward earlier. Australia can be one of the toughest redemption markets, and in a premium cabin no less.

OMAT points out some flights showing 9 first class seats available as awards, which is clearly not United’s intention…. Book those Australia awards now, and you can always change the dates or redeposit the miles even for a $150 fee (or free if you’re a 100,000 mile flyer).