Using your milage to order air tickets:

Using your milage to order air tickets:
1. better not to order on web, pay $15 more to order by phone, you can have much more options (even flights from partner airlines).
2. in AA, you only need 40K for non-peak season to EU (10/15 to 5/15, but very hard to get in Oct or May), 60K is only for peak season.
3. if you want to go to Greece, most likely you need a connection in London; but you can ask connect in Zurich, Switzland, if you like to stop for couple days there.
4. if you want to go to Spain, by phone you can get Iberia (Spanish Airlines, partner of AA) btw Madrid and NYC, then connect to Texas.
5. Even better, you can go to Athens, Greece, and ask to stop by Madrid, Spain -- just like what I did two years ago (see the left side the help column).
6. The best of all, you can go to Athens, asking for stop over in Madrid, and an open jaw -- instead of Athens, return from Istanbul, Turkey, one of the Top 10 Cities in the world. but you need to buy one way flight from Athens to Istanbul for about 100 Euro or less.
All of these you only need 40K between Oct and May, or 60K other time. I am regret that I didn't ask the open jaw and missed Istanbul.

All the choices, all depend on your vacation days, and if you can handle long journey. :-))