Was able to get First Class on AA FF miles to SXM for our May trip to SXM. Yesterday purchased 2 AA FC tickets for $1167 apiece for a Saturday return. Today I looked and if we returned on a Friday it was $827 apiece for FC for the same flights. I took advantage of the 24 hour refund policy and cancelled the Saturday return and booked the Friday return. Whats one less day out of our four week stay for a $670 savings. Great schedule. We leave SXM at 9:00am and arrive SEA at 8:00pm with a stop in MIA and Chicago. It will probably change a bit but we are used to that.

That's a good deal! I prefer to depart on Fridays anyway, as the airport isn't anywhere near as busy. Plus, if you're in a Saturday checkout timeshare, you can stay in your unit as long as you like on Friday. With your early departure time, that's not a big deal; but our departure is usually in the 4 PM range.

I would have preferred a later departure time but this also gets us home at a descent time to the West coast. It also allows me to give my extra day to an employee at the resort to use. It's really appreciated by them as I have done this multiple times. One time I had a full week two bedroom I wasn't going to use and made someones family there very happy.

Nice idea. I assume you never had a problem with management.

Correct

Since we normally stay for two weeks, the Friday departure has been our usual for the last few years. Also when we were still working, it helped having an extra day (Saturday) to acclimate your body to the work routine (especially in late Winter in Chicagoland). Now that we are retired to East TN the climate shock of late Winter is almost non-existant, and there is not work routine.