Award flight search calendars and tools, like Seats.aero and Roame.travel, come in super handy when looking for award flights. They save you a ton of time and help you find the best award so you can put those points to use.
Redeeming points with airline programs like Air Canada Aeroplan, Flying Blue, and British Airways Avios is the best way to fly for nearly free for Canadians.
They offer incredible value for economy and, most of all, business class flights for a fraction of the cash price, giving you some of the best ways to redeem your points.
However, finding award availability, especially for sweet spot business class flights, can be challenging. That’s when search calendars and tools like Seats.aero and Roame.travel, are a total game changer!
Flight alert services like Thrifty Traveler are super handy, sending you flight award availability alerts via email and text. Plus, if you’re open to it, you discover new destinations that you may have not even considered or known about otherwise.
Here’s my guide to the best award flight search tools.
Business Award Concierge
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Business Award Concierge
Have a business? Book a complimentary call to see how our done-for-you Business Award Concierge can turn your business expenses into $50K luxury travel.
Limited spots available.
Seats.aero: Most Comprehensive Award Flight Search Tool
Seats.aero is a total game changer and the best choice once you’re comfortable with award searching and want to see a lot more information at once
The interface allows you to search for entire regions and countries at once, as well as multiple airports.
The Seats.aero Explore tool is great because it shows you availability across an entire continent on a single page. You’ll see right away if repositioning to a different city saves you points, which is super valuable if you are willing to be flexible.
It’s super handy for finding hard-to-get partner flights in business class. Like Japan Airlines to Tokyo with Flying Blue, and Star Alliance partners in business class with Aeroplan.
With the free version of Seats.aero, you get searches for flights departing within a 60-day window. You’ll also get access to the Routes tool and unlimited email alerts to track specific flights. These features are usually enough for most last-minute travellers.
I highly recommend Seats.aero Pro, if you want to maximize your points and find more flights quickly.
The Pro version of Seats.aero lets you search for a full year ahead. This is a huge benefit when searching for business class seats. You can also search for multiple seats at once, which is super valuable for families travelling together.
With the Seats.aero Pro version, you can also use advanced filters like direct flights only, selected cabin, and filter by fees. You also get 32 flight alerts and SMS notifications so you can grab those seats that are harder to find.
Make sure to always double-check availability on the program’s site before transferring points.
Seats.aero Google Flights Chrome Extension
Seats.aero has also released a Google Flights Chrome Extension, which allows you to search for award flights, like business class flights to Europe, along with cash flights to find the best deals.
AWP TIP
Most one-way award flights cost half the points of a round-trip, unlike cash tickets.
Searching one-way gives you more options and opportunities to redeem for hard-to-find seats like business class.
You can even mix loyalty programs or cabin classes to get the most value.
Top Offers
Wondering which credit card to get next?
Our recommendations for the best credit card offers in Canada for October 2026.
Top Offers
Wondering which credit card to get next?
Our recommendations for the best credit card offers in Canada for October 2026.
Roame.travel: Award Flight Search Tool for Flying Blue
Roame.travel is another tool to consider when searching for Flying Blue award flights. It’s a good choice if you want a clean experience with a focus on high-quality data.
The search engine is fast, and you can filter results for Flying Blue to find the best partner redemptions, like Virgin Atlantic to London.
One standout feature of Roame.travel is the SkyView tool. It allows you to see award availability for regions and specific dates. Helping you spot business class openings you might otherwise miss. I
It’s perfect if you have a destination in mind but are flexible on the exact airline.
With the free version of Roame.travel, you get access to a 7-day search window for flights departing within the next 60 days.
For more frequent flyers, the Pro version of Roame.travel offers a 60-day search window for the entire year. You also get up to five multi-region “Super Alerts” so you can grab those seats that are harder to find.
The Roame.travel Pro version also includes advanced filters, making it easier to find direct Flying Blue flights or specific cabin classes. It’s a solid option if you want a balance of speed and simple navigation.
Business Award Concierge
Have a business? Book a complimentary call to see how our done-for-you Business Award Concierge can turn your business expenses into $50K luxury travel.
Limited spots available.
Business Award Concierge
Have a business? Book a complimentary call to see how our done-for-you Business Award Concierge can turn your business expenses into $50K luxury travel.
Limited spots available.
Find Flying Blue Award Flights with Full Calendar View
You can save a lot of time searching for award flights with Flying Blue by using their full monthly calendar. This option is totally free and super handy!
Simply look for award flights in a web browser or on the mobile website, and leave your dates blank to get a full availability calendar with rates across multiple months all at once.
Find British Airways Avios Award Flights with Full Calendar View
The new Avios calendar tool, introduced in August 2026, is a total game changer when searching British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus flights.
You’ll see every date with award availability across a full calendar, one month at a time. A full circle marks good availability, and a half circle marks limited seats.
You can also filter by cabin to see only business class or premium economy, for example.
The Avios calendar tool currently only supports direct flights, but connecting flights are coming soon.
If you’re looking for connecting British Airways flights or flights with other partner airlines like Qantas, Fiji Airways, Qatar Airways or Finnair, Seats.aero will give you more options.
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Reward Flight Finder for Avios Flights
Reward Flight Finder lets you search for Iberia and British Airways Avios award space for up to a year ahead at once.
You can also set alerts for a specific flight, date, or cabin. Plus, Reward Flight Finder lets you see the exact premium cabin type, like BA’s Club Suite or Iberia’s Business Suite.
You can try Reward Flight Finder for free for 7 days, with the Gold membership adding instant alerts, unlimited searches, and up to 20 active alerts at once.
Reward Flight Alerts With Thrifty Traveler
Thrifty Traveler is one of my favourite flight alert services. It’s the one service I use the most to find the best award flights for Canadians.
With Thrifty Traveler Premium, you’ll get flight alerts via email and text based on your preferences. Flight alerts include domestic and international flights in economy, business, and first class.
The best part of Thrifty Traveler Premium is that alerts include affordable cash fares, but most of all, they cover incredible award flights. Thrifty Traveler Premium+ also adds hotel alerts.
Thrifty Traveler works well when you’re flexible with where and when you plan to travel, as well as if you’re watching for flight redemption opportunities for a specific upcoming trip.
One thing that I like most about Thrifty Traveler Premium is that if you’re open to it, you can get to try new destinations. You can learn about award availability that you may not have even considered or known was possible.
It can also give opportunities to try new routes, airlines, or class of service that you didn’t know existed.
I use Thrifty Traveler Premium all the time to find some of the best deals for Canadians. I absolutely think it’s well worth it even if you end up booking just one flight a year that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
While many alerts have US airlines and airports coverage, you can tailor yours around your preferred Canadian home airport. And if you’re close to the US border, you can expand your search there.
Bottom Line
Free full calendar views with some loyalty programs like Flying Blue and British Airways Avios make it much easier to find the best award flights by giving you access to a full monthly view at once.
Plus, tools like Seats.aero and Roame.travel save you a lot of time and frustration by searching multiple award programs, dates, and locations at once.
These are super valuable when searching for partner flights, especially those lucrative business class seats.
Thrifty Traveler Premium is a flight alert service worth considering, even if you fly a couple of times a year. It works well whether you’re flexible with where and when you’re travelling or watching for flight redemption opportunities for upcoming trips.
So there’s no reason not to take advantage of everything they have to offer to get your next award seats for nearly free.
