182. Behind the Scenes of Seats.aero with Keith Van
182. Behind the Scenes of Seats.aero with Keith Van  
Podcast: Point Me To First Class
Published On: Mon Aug 24 2026
Description: Have you ever wondered what your award search tool can see that you can't?   My guest this week is Keith Van, who leads community at Seats.aero, one of the award search platforms I reach for most. What made this so fun for me is that his team sees something the rest of us never do. They can watch how travelers everywhere are searching for award space all at once, which means they notice patterns in demand and in availability that none of us could piece together alone, and a few of the ones Keith shared upended assumptions I didn't know I was holding.   We also get into the part of these tools that trips people up the most, the gap between what a search shows you and what you can book right now, and how to protect yourself before you move your points. And Keith pulls back the curtain on how a platform like this works, from why it can see some airlines and not others to the features longtime users walk right past. Whether you've never opened an award search tool or you consider yourself a power user, I think you'll finish this one seeing these platforms, and the data underneath them, differently.   Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/seats-aero-award-search-data    Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy