Trent Swanson

What's your window?

So we locked in that window and really limited our universe of what we could do based upon that.

So while the window was locked in, I went to research which loyalty programs released which award inventory for which airlines.

Every loyalty program publishes their award inventory.

And if you track it frequently enough, you can track the trends, the ups and downs, when it stays flat, what triggers replenishment, whether it's first class.

But it all starts with creating that vision.

I'm going to Japan.

What should I do?

And the big part of this Capital One JAL relationship is...

Every loyalty program, by rule, generates its list of available inventory on a calendar.

Some of those go as far out as 360 days into the future, whereas others only go 330 days in the future.

So that difference between 330 and 360, if you have access to the inventory at day 360, you will steal it.

When the program only gets access at day 330.

So how do I, if I'm going to Japan, I know I have two first class seats on every flight out of Dallas, one out of LA, one out of JFK, three out of O'Hare.

how do I get myself to O'Hare for the greatest chance of that award inventory opening up?

And the first thing you'd have to do is say, I've got to get access to the program or a 360 days in advance.

I can buy it and lock it in as opposed to waiting for three 30 days when everyone's already picked over the inventory and that seat that you want is not going to be there.

Sure, it's right.

And so the Capital One Venture Card is great for that.

Any of the Amex cards are great for that because they have access to that loyalty program who has inventory earlier than its competitors have it for the very same seat on the very same airplane.