The information in this post obviously reflects a moment in time. Any availability I found might have disappeared by the time I hit the “publish” button on the blog. I just thought it might be worth going through the process of looking for options to redeem miles during Nova Scotia’s March break, just to see what I could find. Many people have to plan their travels around school breaks and using miles is a much bigger challenge when you’re competing with those in the same boat.
Search Results
These are all flights that I would have no qualms about booking for myself. I left out any results that involved multiple connections or overnight layovers.
I’ll start with some Air Miles options. Short-haul flights are often the best value in cents per mile terms but flights to more distant locations can still be a good deal, especially with a discount. These examples all have at least 4 seats available.
If you’re interested in warm weather…
Moncton – Miami
Mar. 14 – 21
3000 Air Miles + $162
If you’re interested in great entertainment…
Moncton – New York City (EWR)
Mar. 14 – 21
1615 Air Miles + $162
Moncton – New York City (LGA)
Mar. 14 – 21
1615 Air Miles + $162
If you’re interested in free museums…
Moncton – Washington (DCA)
Sat. Mar. 14 – 21
1615 Air Miles + $157
There is also availability to Dulles (IAD) but Reagan (DCA) is closer to the city.
Halifax – Washington (DCA)
Mar. 14 – 21
1615 Air Miles + $165
Now on to Aeroplan. Aeroplan’s 25,000 mile “fixed mileage” rewards are often a good value for longer flights within continental North America. Unfortunately, in my experience, Aeroplan availability is even tougher to find than with Air Miles. I wanted to include a couple of Canadian destinations but I was not able to find any good options to Vancouver or Victoria. Short-haul redemptions in the 15,000 mile category were elusive as well. This was the best I could come up with in my brief search…
Halifax – Los Angeles
Mar. 14 – 20
50,000 Aeroplan miles + $211 (Business Class)
3 seats available
These flights are on wide-body aircraft for all segments although it’s not guaranteed to stay that way. The return is an overnight flight so hopefully it remains as scheduled so you’d have the more comfortable lie-flat business class seat for the trip home.
Departure Airport
So, I had to expand my search to include flights from Moncton. That’s what it boiled down to. March break in New Brunswick appears to fall on the week before Nova Scotia’s. When you’re looking for reward availability during busy travel periods, you’ve got to consider casting a wider net.
If you live in northeast NS, driving to Moncton is not too big of a deal. My family once drove to Bangor to catch a cheap flight to Florida. However, if you live in southwest NS, I can see how flying out of NB could be less appealing.
Destination
You’ll also need flexibility when it comes to destination. Maybe take what you can get as long as it’s somewhere you have an interest in seeing, even if it wasn’t on your radar previously.
Keep in mind that some places have multiple airports but when searching with Aeroplan or Air Miles you’ll need to check each one separately. You can use the “multi-city” search to fly into LGA and out EWR or into DCA and out of IAD for example.
Search Strategy
In addition to searching the Aeroplan website, I also use the United site and search for “saver” availability that should be bookable on Aeroplan. I find the Aeroplan website can be a bit glitchy whereas the United site seems okay most of the time. Just hope that Aeroplan’s site is functional when it comes time to book.
Remember that you can use the free stopover on a return Aeroplan flight which might help you figure out a workable itinerary. Perhaps use a stopover of a day or two as a way to see a musical or sporting event in a connecting city and thus add some value to the trip.
Keep Checking
Availability can open up at any time so be persistent and snatch it up if you find it. It seems to me that Air Miles availability fluctuates a bit more than Aeroplan.
Bottom Line
I’ve heard some people say that it’s impossible to book with miles for a vacation on popular travel dates. That’s not quite true. If you have patience and an open mind about where you’d like to go then I think it’s reasonably likely you’ll find reward flights that can make a great trip happen. It also helps to have miles from more than one program at your disposal.
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