With devaluations and miles becoming harder to earn, it’s getting more difficult to snag a coveted business class award.  Some airlines simply won’t release them to partners at all anymore!  (Air New Zealand, I’m looking at YOU!)  Others like Singapore Airlines are starting to hold back business class until a couple weeks before travel which is bad news for eco-tourists since we usually have to plan ahead.  The lady in this video describes a few tricks I use, especially about researching the plane and seating maps and trying with the check-in agent.

Another trick for couples is to book the window and aisle, leaving the middle seat vacant.  If people have a choice, no one will choose a middle seat between two strangers.  I’d say at least 80% of the time, Ina & I have gotten lucky and not had anyone choose our middle seat.  If the flight is full, then I will offer the stranger my window seat and scoot over as we prefer to have easy aisle access.