When do airlines post new flights?

Question

I have heard or read somewhere that there is a specific day of the week and time of day that flights are posted. Something like Tuesdays at midnight, for example. I'm trying to book a flight using frequent flier miles and want to jump on the flight I want as soon as it opens. Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer 1

The FAA allows US-based flights to be listed one year in advance; airlines rarely add additional flights or routes after that. Otherwise that would mean they have an extra plane sitting around somewhere doing nothing, and airlines are not in the habit of letting their investment sit there and not make money for them!

It is getting harder and harder to redeem miles, especially credit card miles. Check with the source of the miles (airline or credit card) to see the maximum advance reservation for rewards miles. Most miles earned by actually flying have about a 330-day maximum (it varies by airline and super-elite like Platinum-level travellers get a bit of an extra benefit) so book your travel as early as humanly possible. It's not uncommon for people to plan their vacations over a year in advance just so they can redeem their miles.