Reward flight availability

Just wondering if I'm doing something stupid or if the website is taking the mickey!

I have been looking at reward flights to SFO. When I am on the homepage of the VS website I ask it to look for LHR to SFO return in any cabin. The availability grid comes up but even when there looks to be reward seats in all 3 cabins (eg 20th Aug is showing that just now) once I click on that date and it takes me to the next page there is actually only availability in one cabin??

I have tried various dates and the same problem sometimes occurs and I have tried every day for over a week now and again the same thing happens each time. Why is one bit of the site saying availability and the next bit says NO?!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Many Thanks
Jo

[Nottingham Nick]

There have been a couple of things that I have read recently that indicate it is currently better to ring when you are looking for reward availability, as the online pages sometimes don't match reality.

It will come as no great surprise here if VS IT is shown to be lacking, but in my own experience - if you get a good agent - phone interaction is often more pleasant and easier anyway.
(Agents rarely crash just before you complete a booking. )

Nick

Thanks very much Nick,
Trying to look for a flight for my mum but I don't have quite enough miles for her yet and so was just looking too see what the options/availability were like.
I'll call up FC helpline when I have the miles!
Cheers, Jo

Thanks very much Nick,
Trying to look for a flight for my mum but I don't have quite enough miles for her yet and so was just looking too see what the options/availability were like.
I'll call up FC helpline when I have the miles!
Cheers, Jo

Also worthwhile to search one way rather than return. That has been known to show up different availability!

Also - it may show cabin availability but the number of seats you want is only factored in AFTER the grid comes up - so only once you have chosen your dates.. I found this whilst hunting G's for LGW - MCO

So if you want 2 tickets in Upper for instance it will show Upper availability on the grid (even if only 1 seat) and then when you click your dates and continue it then shows cabin availability based on the number of seats you are looking for, so if it showed availability in Upper and you wanted 2 seats and there is only 1 available the Upper availability will not show on the next stage....

FC helpline informed me of this the other week...

Thanks everyone, I'm only looking for one seat so that shouldn't be the issue but good to know!
I tried doing one way bookings and it definitely showed more accurate results i.e. the grid availability matched the selected date availability......weird why that should make a difference??!!

I really shouldn't have started to look as now I need the reward seats to stay put for another few weeks!

Brilliant help folks, thanks!