{"id":223690,"date":"2025-08-29T23:59:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T23:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=223690\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:21:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:21:52","slug":"saved-miles-cheap-positioning-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/travel\/saved-miles-cheap-positioning-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Saved 44,000 Miles By Booking a Cheap Positioning Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to booking award travel, scheduling flexibility is usually the best way to get a good deal. But what happens when you have <em>no<\/em> flexibility? That was the situation I found myself in when trying to book flights over Columbus Day weekend. I needed to get my whole family to Albany, NY, for a wedding, and the dates were set in stone.<\/p>\n<p>Like many smaller regional airports with limited service, Albany can be tricky to book flights to. Booking for four people on a holiday weekend made things even tougher. All of the available itineraries were either difficult or outrageously expensive.<\/p>\n<p>Here's how I used a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/travel\/positioning-flights\/\" rel=\"noopener\">positioning flight<\/a> to create our own practical solution to a common problem \u2014 and saved 44,000 miles in the process.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Reviewing_My_Flight_Options\">Reviewing My Flight Options<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_Lightbulb_Moment\">The Lightbulb Moment<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_Solution_Booking_a_Positioning_Flight\">The Solution: Booking a Positioning Flight<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_Risk_Factor_of_Booking_Positioning_Flights\">The Risk Factor of Booking Positioning Flights<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_Bigger_Lesson_About_This_Experience\">The Bigger Lesson About This Experience<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Final_Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2><span id=\"Reviewing_My_Flight_Options\"><strong>Reviewing My Flight Options<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I started my flight search on Google Flights and didn't find promising options. As I knew, there are no direct flights between my home airport of Houston and Albany, and unfortunately, nothing I found was both affordable and practical. So, I started checking mileage options.<\/p>\n<p>On American Airlines, the least expensive awards were priced at 34,000 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/american-aadvantage\/earn-american-miles\/\" rel=\"noopener\">AAdvantage miles<\/a> one way. That would have been 136,000 miles for my family of four. That's a painful amount to spend, especially considering the itineraries weren\u2019t even good.<\/p>\n<p>The options required very long layovers in Charlotte or Washington, D.C., stretching out what should be a relatively short trip into a long travel day. For any more convenient options, the airline demanded upwards of 66,000 one-way per person. No thanks.<\/p>\n<p>Southwest wasn\u2019t any better. Yes, it had flights to Albany, but many required overnight connections or marathon travel days with two stops. The idea of dragging two kids through an overnight connection or sitting in airports all day on a holiday weekend was also a hard no.<\/p>\n<p>United offered 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. flights that would have cost nearly 40,000 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/united-mileageplus\/\" rel=\"noopener\">MileagePlus<\/a> miles per person, proving to be both inconvenient and expensive. Ideally, we needed to leave in the afternoon because of work schedules.<\/p>\n<p>In short, the options were either too costly, too exhausting, or too early to be practical.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223695\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/345\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-223695 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/united-flight-options.png\" alt=\"A screenshot shows flight options to Albany on United\" width=\"750\" height=\"345\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/united-flight-options.png 750w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/united-flight-options-300x138.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>No thanks! Credit: United Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Lightbulb_Moment\"><strong>The Lightbulb Moment<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you\u2019re stuck, sometimes it helps to zoom out. Since there weren't any great options from Houston, I pulled up <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flightconnections.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">FlightConnections<\/a> to see which airports offered nonstop service to Albany. That\u2019s when I spotted a gem: American Airlines flies nonstop from Dallas\/Fort Worth (DFW) to Albany (ALB).<\/p>\n<p>Even better, there were evening flights available for just 18,000 miles each, which worked significantly better for our schedule. Compared to the 34,000-mile multi-stop itineraries out of Houston, this was a huge win \u2014 both smoother and cheaper.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/best-award-bookings-for-families\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Practical Airline Award Sweet Spots for Families<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Solution_Booking_a_Positioning_Flight\"><strong>The Solution: Booking a Positioning Flight<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There was, of course, one catch. We\u2019d have to get from Houston to Dallas on our own. Since we will be on a bit of a time-crunch this trip, I eliminated the option to drive between the cities.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I hopped back on Google Flights to check out flight availability. Luckily, several airlines offer daily service on this popular route, including low-cost carriers, like Spirit, with flights as low as $39.<\/p>\n<p>The option that ended up working best for us, both in timing and cost, was a United segment that I was able to book for just 5,000 United miles per person. Here\u2019s how the math worked out:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Houston\u2013Dallas\/Fort Worth on United: 5,000 miles \u00d7 4 tickets = 20,000 miles<\/li>\n<li>Dallas\/Fort Worth\u2013Albany nonstop on American Airlines: 18,000 miles \u00d7 4 tickets = 72,000 miles<\/li>\n<li><strong>Total: 92,000 miles<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If I limited myself to booking from Houston, it would have cost at least 34,000 miles per ticket &#8212; or 136,000 miles total. By positioning, I saved 44,000 miles. In addition, I saved my family from a stressful itinerary of overnight flights and\/or multiple stops.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223693\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/481\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-223693 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Albany-NY.jpg\" alt=\"A photo shows a street in Albany NY with a traffic light.\" width=\"600\" height=\"481\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Albany-NY.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Albany-NY-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Albany-NY-768x615.jpg 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Albany-NY-325x260.jpg 325w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Photo by Ethan Townsend\/Pexels<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Risk_Factor_of_Booking_Positioning_Flights\"><strong>The Risk Factor of Booking Positioning Flights<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It should be noted that <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/travel\/positioning-flights\/\" rel=\"noopener\">booking positioning flights<\/a> comes with a risk. Having separate tickets means that if the first flight is delayed or canceled, the second airline won\u2019t be aware of it, nor will they protect your connection. You\u2019re on your own.<\/p>\n<p>We felt fairly comfortable with this risk for two reasons. First, there are plenty of flights between Houston and Dallas every day, so I knew that worst-case scenario, we could likely make a last-minute schedule change. We also gave ourselves a generous buffer before the Dallas to Albany departure.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, I like to position the day before when possible to avoid catastrophic delays. This is especially true when positioning for international flights, such as when we positioned to Washington, D.C., for a flight to Spain.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a strategy I\u2019d use every time, but for this trip, the savings and smoother itinerary made the gamble worth it. All of our fingers are crossed that it pays off. And we will be keeping a close eye on the AwardWallet app for any delays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"custom-blue\"><strong>Track all of your travel plans, including flights, hotels, rental cars, events, and more through AwardWallet. <a href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/register?ref=235\" =_blank>Sign up for free<\/a> and get three free months of AwardWallet Plus!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Bigger_Lesson_About_This_Experience\"><strong>The Bigger Lesson About This Experience<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We always say <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/what-flights-can-i-book-with-miles\/\" rel=\"noopener\">flexibility is the key to good award redemptions<\/a>. But flexibility doesn\u2019t <em>only<\/em> mean being open to different dates or destinations. Sometimes it\u2019s about thinking outside the box in other ways. This can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Looking at alternate airports and positioning flights.<\/li>\n<li>Booking more than one airline or program to make the trip work.<\/li>\n<li>Spending a little in one currency (cash or miles) to save big in another.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>By adding a short positioning flight, I was able to save 44,000 miles and book a more convenient itinerary to New York on a busy travel weekend. It took a little extra planning and a willingness to take on some risk, but we're hoping the payoff will be worth it.<\/p>\n<p>Flexibility will always be the cornerstone of award travel, but this experience was a good reminder that flexibility can take different forms. Even when your dates and destination are locked in, creative solutions like positioning flights can still unlock big savings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to booking award travel, flexibility is usually key. But what happens when you have no flexibility? That was the situation I found myself in when I needed to get my whole family to upstate New York, and the dates were set in stone. Here&#8217;s how I used a positioning flight to create our own practical solution to a common problem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":158370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12054],"tags":[12623,12628,12629],"coauthors":[36466],"class_list":["post-223690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips","tag-family-travel","tag-travel-experience","tag-using-points"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223690"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257256,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223690\/revisions\/257256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223690"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=223690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}