Seats.aero Award Search Tool: An Expert’s Go-To

Seats.aero is one of several award search tools that help you simplify the process of redeeming your points and miles. As a frequent flyer, I find it to be the most useful award search tool if you have a flexible schedule and want to maximize the value of your airline miles.

There are both free and paid versions of Seats.aero. The free version is great for travelers making last-minute bookings within 60 days of departure, while the $99.99 per year Pro plan offers users the ability to search up to a year’s worth of availability. If you don’t need a yearlong membership, you can opt for a $9.99-per-month subscription.

Pro users have access to additional features like a fare class viewer, a seat map viewer and a tool for United Airlines elites to find flights with PlusPoints upgrade availability.

You’ll need to create a login to access the paid version of Seats.aero, but anyone can use the free version. Here’s an overview of some of the differences between the free plan and the Pro version:

Whether you’re using the free or paid version of Seats.aero, you have access to the same airline and hotel loyalty programs. However, Pro users can expand their search to a 361-day window (+/- 180 days) compared to 15 days with the free version (+/- seven days). You’ll also have unlimited access to flight alerts, hotel alerts, search filters and extra tools for booking specific types of flights, such as Delta One business class or Lufthansa first class.

Seats.aero uses a simple user interface that allows you to input where you’re flying from, where you’re going and what date you want to fly. Once you get your first results, you’ll start seeing more search options and filters.

For example, you can choose the date range you want to search for. If you’re on the free version, you can choose to use only the exact date or a three-, seven- or 15-day window. Pro users can also search for 29-, 57-, 121- and 361-day periods.

On the results page, you’ll see each option and what it costs for economy, premium economy, business class and first class, where available. Seats.aero does not show mixed-cabin award pricing.

All users can filter results by airline program, alliance and transferable currency, so you only see the results that are relevant to you. You can even search by aircraft type, if you’re looking for a specific onboard experience.

Some Pro-only features include advanced filters for direct flights, number of passengers and the maximum you’re willing to pay in fees.

Search result load times vary depending on the route you’re searching for. Free results rely on cached data (meaning results are not live), so results may not be up to date. Seats.aero also doesn’t track all available routes (Pro members can request untracked routes), so you might not see data for your city pairs if they’re uncommon.

Pro users have access to live searches and can refresh results to get up-to-date availability. There is an hourly limit on how many live search results you can access, and live search may be unavailable if your query is too broad.

Seats.aero is useful if you already know your dates, but it really shines for those who have flexible schedules (i.e. non-students and teachers, who have to travel during specific breaks). Pro members can search for award availability up to a year out within a 361-day window.

One of my favorite tools is multicity codes that let you search airports within a certain region or category all at once. That lets you quickly scan for potential redemptions.

Other codes I often use include UAH, DLL and AAH — the hub airports for United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Seats.aero provides a list of multicity codes and associated airports on its website.

While it’s possible to run searches to find availability, these specific tools make it so much easier because they can show you all possible routes around the world. That matters when it comes to aspirational redemptions, where availability can be scarce and travelers often reposition themselves just to take these flights.

Seats.aero is incredibly generous when it comes to setting up alerts for flights and hotel stays. On the free plan, users can get email alerts for flights that match the desired cabin class and travel date. You can also filter results by the loyalty program you want to use to book your trip. Once a flight that matches your criteria is found, you will be notified and your alert will expire.

When you upgrade to Pro, you unlock continuous alerts that keep notifying you of results that match your criteria. You can choose to be notified via SMS and select a date range for your trip, or any date, if you have maximum flexibility. There are additional filters for Pro users, such as minimum number of seats and maximum cost in points. If you’re a United flyer, you can also search for specific fare buckets that indicate instant upgrade availability or business saver award space.

While Seats.aero is a powerful tool, it comes at the expense of being beginner friendly. The search tool relies on users knowing the airport codes for their destinations — something infrequent travelers might not be familiar with. For example, if you search for a flight from New York to large airports in Asia, it will show you results for HND, NRT and ICN. You can hover over those airport codes to see the full names of each airport, but it doesn’t tell you anywhere that the first two serve Tokyo and the latter Seoul. That’s something you might pick up quickly after a few searches, but it’s still a hurdle for new travelers.

There’s also no map to explore the routes you’re looking at. That might be a dealbreaker for people who are visual thinkers. Also, on the search results page, Seats.aero uses colors to indicate whether there is nonstop availability or a connection is required. However, the price displayed in the search results is the cheapest price, regardless of whether it’s nonstop or requires a connection. I’ve gotten confused by that a few times, expecting to see a nonstop award for one price but then realizing it’s the price of a connecting itinerary.

Free users may struggle with Seats.aero’s use of cached data, which increases the likelihood of seeing outdated and inaccurate results. That can be frustrating, especially if you think you’ve found the perfect redemption only to see that the result was last updated 10 hours ago. In many cases, popular redemptions can be snatched up within minutes, if not seconds, making real-time data all that more valuable. Always make sure to confirm with the airline directly that there is availability before transferring your points.

With the paid plan, you get access to live data, but there’s an hourly limit on how many live search results you can see. Seats.aero provides a tracker to show you how close you are to the limit, but it’s still an annoyance when you’re paying for the product.

Rooms.aero, the hotel version of Seats.aero, lets you search for hotel award availability. You’ll need to enter your destination city or region, a range of travel dates and how many nights you want to stay. Then, you can filter your results by hotel program and the maximum number of points you want to spend. However, compared to its older sibling, Rooms.aero offers a subpar experience.

I liked that the search results showed the cent-per-point valuation, a helpful metric for determining whether you’re getting good value from your hotel points. You can also see the price in cash and points for a standard room and a standard suite. Ultimately, though, I found the tool to be slow and buggy, especially when searching across a larger region.

If you want to maximize the value of your transferable points, Seats.aero can be a useful tool for planning your next trip. It offers the most benefit to travelers who have flexible schedules or are looking for a specific redemption, especially in a premium cabin.

While its user interface isn’t the most eye-catching, Seats.aero offers plenty of functionality to make up for it, including unlimited alerts for award flights, as well as hotel award stays on Rooms.aero. However, you’ll need a Pro subscription to get the most out of the tool. That’s because Pro members have access to up to a year’s worth of availability, as well as unlimited access to various extras.