What are the chances? Rare as hen's teeth?

Morning all.
We have a window of opportunity to go away by ourselves during the half term break next Feb as our daughter will be away on a skiing trip with her college. Hurrah! Thought we'd go to Dubai for a few days. We've been twice in the last few months, both times UC reward seats, which is what I was hoping to do again. However, I can't find any reward seats for our dates (shock, horror!). So out of interest, I've been putting in loads of different dates from LHR to DXB, but there's hardly anything around. I think I found something for June this year but that's all. The reason I'm querying is that I've never had any trouble in the past with getting reward seats to DXB.
From experience, does anyone know if it's just because I'm trying to book the half term week so I we haven't got a hope in hell's chance, am I looking too far in advance, or have reward seats just been cut right down?
Will it be worth my while to keep checking as often as possible? As I say, nothing seems to be coming up at all for Jan & Feb next year, even on the dates we don't want to go.
Feeling rather like a sulky teenager myself at the moment because I can't get my own way ... The whole point of trying to get away next year is to escape a real-life sulky teenager for a few days

In my part of the world (currently a less than sunny) Brighton the February 1/2 term is 18th - 22nd February 2019

At present Feb 22nd is the latest date you can book VS and flights earlier in the week would have only just been released as well. VS does not always release reward seats when it releases revenue flights so it is possible that they have simply not released them yet. The matrix just says 'none available' for that week.

So yes at present it is just a case of regular checking.

Thanks Tontybear. We're in Brighton too - grey & miserable innit?!

Looks like Virgin is going to be my new homepage for a good few months until I can find some UC reward seats ...

I have found the same.
However, personally I think it’s a website issue. I was looking at the same route and similar dates at the beginning of last week, and there were plenty of reward seats available, in all cabins and on most dates.
I checked this morning, and they have all gone. And i mean ALL reward seats.
I find it hard to believe every single date has been booked up over the course of a week not only UC but PE as well.....
I think the recent website update has something to do with it.
Give FC a call i’m sure they will be able to find you something.

Hi Shifty.
It’s weird isn’t it? Looking for any reward seats on that route, all I find is tumbleweed ... I managed to find a few seats in Sept, but nothing after that. As I said in my original post, I’ve always found this route easy to get reward seats on but there’s definitely something odd going on at the moment. Fortunately we have almost a year to find the seats we want, I just hope we get lucky.

I think this has happened before - reward seats mysteriously dry up only for VS to release shedloads of them all at once.

As always the advice is keep checking. Patience and persistence usually pay off.

As an aside, reports on Flyertalk suggest BA have pulled virtually all First Class reward availability from 1 January 2019 onwards.

Conspiracy theories abound ...

We are looking for UC reward seats to return from DXB for March 26th next year, or thereabouts (too early now I know)and I checked today to see what is available leading up to that time. Zilch in UC, a couple in PE. Panicking a bit as I have the HKG seats out to our cruise, but need to get home from DXB! And PE is no good because of my husband’s severe back problems, as he can’t sit for long.

Anyone comment on Kuwait? They come in at an excellent price.

Looks like Virgin is going to be my new homepage for a good few months until I can find some UC reward seats ...

And mine....

We are looking for UC reward seats to return from DXB for March 26th next year, or thereabouts (too early now I know)and I checked today to see what is available leading up to that time. Zilch in UC, a couple in PE. Panicking a bit as I have the HKG seats out to our cruise, but need to get home from DXB! And PE is no good because of my husband’s severe back problems, as he can’t sit for long.

Anyone comment on Kuwait? They come in at an excellent price.

If you have almost a whole year to wait I would not worry. Just check every day.