A blackout date is a day on which a programme refuses a redemption or certificate as a matter of rule, no matter how many seats or rooms are free.
A blackout date is a day on which a programme refuses a redemption or certificate as a matter of rule, no matter how many seats or rooms are free.
Also called: Blackout period.
How it works#
Blackout dates fall on high-demand days and apply more often to certificates and promotional awards than to ordinary points redemptions. Many programmes have dropped formal blackout lists and achieve the same result through price: instead of a ban, no cheap inventory is loaded on those days. For planning the two are equivalent; only the justification differs.
Not to be confused with#
A blackout date is not the same as a lack of award availability: a blackout excludes redemption by rule, while availability is an inventory decision on an individual flight.
In German#
The German term is Sperrtermin. German version of this term
Related terms#
- Award availability: Award availability is the number of seats an airline releases on a given flight for redemption with miles, which is usually far smaller than the number of seats still on sale.
- Peak and off-peak award pricing: Peak and off-peak award pricing is an award chart with several price levels depending on travel dates, typically high, low and shoulder season.
- Free night certificate: A free night certificate is a voucher for one hotel night up to a fixed points ceiling, usually granted once a year as a credit card benefit.
Articles that use this term#
TopicEvery article and term onPoints and miles.