What are the best ways to book reward flights to Europe using Qantas points for July-August 2017?

Planning a trip to Italy next July-August. Started to search for business class reward flights with qantas however I find it hard to believe I cannot find a flight available. I even tried other European city but the result is the same. All I could find was a one way in business to Amsterdam but no flight back other than economy. Am I missing something? I have over 500K points and a silver status. Thanks

It’s because July/August is peak to Europe so very few rewards seats are offered. Secondly whatever was available would have even snapped up already even 11 months out.

It might also depend on what dates you’re looking for. Different airlines release their award seats at different dates, so it you’re looking at 15 August for example, quite a few Qantas partners wouldn’t have release their award seats yet, such as Emirates. Here are some examples: http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/03/21/when-do-airlines-open-award-seats/

Also, as mentioned, July/August is the most popular time of year to fly to Europe, so it can be difficult. Another method you can try is departing from different Australian cities. It can take a while, but given you’re starting 10-11 months out, if you put in the effort and are flexible, you’ll find seats.

 

 

I’m also travelling to Europe during this period. I couldn’t find much going out, but there was pretty reasonable availability coming back. As it is, I’ll be using the new Singapore Caipital Express out anyway, so it’s not a problem for me.

Given the choice of a knee-crushing sentence in cattle-class on the way to or from my holiday, I’d easily prefer the pain upfront with the possibility of getting home relaxed.