For points and miles travelers, upper-class travel is either the Holy Grail if you’re new to the game or an occasional dabbler, or the only way to go.

For three years straight, American Airlines has won two of the top honors among frequent flyer programs: the Freddie Awards for Program of the Year and Best Elite Program.

As far as award bookings with domestic carriers go, United is one of the most straightforward. You have all the options you’d expect one ways, multicity tickets, unlimited less-than-24-hour stopovers and you’re able to make almost all bookings online without any inexplicable system glitches keeping you from seeing the seats you’re entitled to cough, cough, Delta.

I’ve always regretted not taking a semester to study overseas when I was in college, so when my daughter said she wanted to take advantage of her study-abroad program in Paris, I was thrilled. The cost would be the same as a studying here, except for the airfare. As soon as her departure date was set, I wanted to lock in her award flights. But I wasn’t sure if she would be staying on after her program ended or even if she might be coming back from another city.

Among award travelers, Delta is somewhat notorious. You can’t book one-way awards. Inventory at the lowest redemption rate is known to be limited to the point of non-existence.

There are two traits needed  if you want to excel at booking free airline award tickets and hotel rooms on points. The first is the knack for planning in advance sometimes up to an entire year. The second trait is the opposite: the flexibility to take advantage of spur-of-the-moment opportunities like booking a trip at the last minute within weeks or even days of departure.

I want to tell you a little secret about the airline industry.

About booking flights in particular.

Shhhh…come closer.

The best time to book flights is not when the inventory first loads!

I know, it’s so counterintuitive you don’t believe me.