Seats.aero is a search tool for award flights. The What is seats.aero? help article Paid link describes it as a way to find and track award seat availability across dozens of airlines and loyalty programs. You run the search on Seats.aero and book the seat with the airline or loyalty program.
Searches are one-way, which suits premium awards: set the cabin to Business or First and search each direction on its own. Features and prices here are as of October 6, 2026.
- One-way searches
- Dozens of airlines and loyalty programs
- LON, EUR multi-airport codes
- Airline is where you book
At a Glance: How Seats.aero Works
- Search: the Seats.aero getting-started guide Paid link starts with origin, destination or a region such as Europe, dates, and cabin. Results list routes, airlines, points required, and the program that can book each flight.
- Round trips and multi-city: a round trip is two one-way searches Paid link, and a multi-city trip is searched leg by leg.
- Programs: results differ by program, so a seat missing in one program may still be bookable through another.
- Alerts: alerts Paid link watch a route and notify you by email, push, or SMS (Pro, where supported) when seats open.
- Before you transfer: confirm the seat on the airline’s own site, because phantom availability Paid link can show a seat that is already gone.
- Free: basic search with no account, up to 5 active alerts, and a search window of up to 30 days, per the Free vs Pro comparison Paid link.
- Pro: $9.99 a month on the Seats.aero homepage Paid link, with a 60+ day window, unlimited alerts, and advanced filters.
Real-World Examples
Scenario 1: a one-way business seat to Europe
Set your home airport as origin, Europe as the destination region, your dates, and Business. Scan points required and the booking program, then click a result for exact flights and how the cost differs by program.
Takeaway: a region search covers many destinations at once.
Scenario 2: a round trip
Run the outbound search first. Then swap origin and destination and run the return as its own search.
Takeaway: plan one search for each direction.
Scenario 3: no seat in your favorite program
Widen the programs filter or use the transfer-partner filter to show programs your credit cards can reach. Some airlines release more seats to their own members than to partners.
Takeaway: check every program your points can reach.
Scenario 4: a seat that won’t show on the airline site
Treat it as phantom availability. Look at another program in the same alliance, or call the program to check real availability.
Takeaway: transfer points only after the airline confirms the seat.
What Seats.aero Is and Where You Book
Seats.aero searches award availability with miles or points, shows results from multiple airlines and programs in one place, and filters by origin, destination, cabin, and date range. Basic searches run without an account.
It is a search and alert tool. You complete the reservation directly with the airline or loyalty program, using the booking instructions Seats.aero provides, and the airlines decide which seats to release.
Run a First One-Way Premium Search
- Open Search.
- Enter where you’re flying from and where you want to go, or a whole region such as Europe.
- Enter your dates.
- Pick Business or First. Economy is also offered.
- Click a result to see exact flight options and pricing by program.
Narrow results with filters for cabin, max points, programs, stops, and airlines. If results disappear, loosen the filters. Airport codes such as LON or EUR search many airports at once.
Search Award Availability Across Programs
- The same flight may appear in one program and not another.
- Prices vary depending on how you book.
- Data refreshes frequently, and Search and Explore update with fresh data from airlines as you view results.
- Dynamically priced awards appear only when the pricing is reasonable.
When a United-operated or MileagePlus result needs program context, see United MileagePlus program context. When a SkyMiles result needs it, see SkyMiles program context.
Set a Seats.aero Alert
- Go to Alerts in the top menu.
- Click Create alert.
- Choose a one-off or continuous alert.
- Fill in the route, dates or date range, cabin, mileage programs, and filters such as max points, max fees, stops, airlines, and arrival time.
- Click Create alert to save it.
- One-off: sends a notification once when your criteria are met, then stops.
- Continuous (Pro): stays active and notifies you multiple times as availability changes.
Alerts follow supported airline-and-program combinations, so selecting a program does not strictly limit results, and some combinations are unsupported.
What to Do After You Find Space
Phantom availability happens when a flight shows up as bookable with points or miles, but no seat is actually available when you try to reserve it. Causes include cached results, syncing delays, and partner feed glitches.
- Check the airline site directly. A seat missing there is likely phantom.
- Compare other mileage programs in the same alliance.
- Call the loyalty program. An agent can often verify real availability and hold it while you transfer points.
- Transfer points and complete the award booking.
Verify the seat before you transfer points or cancel a backup ticket.
Once a seat is confirmed, see which Chase balances can book an award the tool finds, Capital One transfer options after a seat is confirmed, Amex Membership Rewards partners, and Europe award partners after a one-way hit.
Free vs Pro
- Search window: up to 30 days on free, 60+ days on Pro.
- Alerts: up to 5 active on free. Pro has unlimited alerts, continuous alerts, SMS where supported, and United upgrade alerts.
- Filters: basic on free, full advanced on Pro, including arrival time.
- Live search: Pro users can search any route in Search.
- GDS data: Pro shows seatmaps and fare class availability published in global distribution systems.
- Upgrades: Pro searches upgrade availability on flights operated by JetBlue and United.
- Service: faster refresh rates, priority support, and early access to new features.
- Price: $9.99 a month when bought on the website.
TL;DR – Verdict
Use Seats.aero to find and track one-way premium award seats across dozens of programs: search by route or region, cabin, and dates, then book with the airline or program. Free covers basic search, a 30-day window, and up to 5 alerts. Pro, at $9.99 a month, adds a 60+ day window, continuous and SMS alerts, and advanced filters. Confirm every seat on the airline site before transferring points.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Seats.aero free?
Yes, for basic searches without an account. Pro costs $9.99 a month on the website, and the Apple App Store price may be higher Paid link.
Does Seats.aero book flights?
No. After you find a seat, you complete the booking directly with the airline or program.
Can I search a round trip in one search?
No. Seats.aero supports one-way searches only, so search the outbound and return separately and search multi-city trips one leg at a time.
How many alerts can I set?
Up to 5 active alerts on the free plan and unlimited alerts on Pro.
What is phantom availability?
A seat that appears bookable in search results but can’t be reserved. Check the airline’s site before you move any points.
How far ahead can I search?
The free plan searches up to 30 days out, and Pro extends that to 60+ days.