How do waitlists work?

Some airlines allow you to “waitlist” for award seats that aren’t currently available. Here’s what that means:

✈️ Airline-side waitlists

• A waitlist is basically a reservation request in line.
• You’ll submit your award booking request, but it only clears if the airline later decides to release a seat.
• Airlines usually prioritize based on your status, fare class, and other internal rules.
• You won’t know for sure if or when your waitlist will clear—it could be hours before departure, or not at all.

🔎 On Seats.aero

• Seats.aero only shows seats that are actually available to book right now.
• We don’t display waitlist-only space, since there’s no guarantee those seats will ever open.
• If you see “no seats available” on Seats.aero, that means there’s nothing bookable at that moment—even if the airline’s site shows a waitlist option.

💡 Tips

• If you want certainty, always book confirmed award space.
• If you’re flexible and don’t mind uncertainty, you can join an airline’s waitlist directly through their site or call center.
• Keep checking Seats.aero or set up alerts—new confirmed seats sometimes open up, even on sold-out flights.