With regard to redeeming frequent flyer awards, I find the best approach is to acknowledge:
a) There is no such thing as a free lunch, so you're bound to get what you ask for, but not necessarily what you want, which leads me to
b) You can't always get what you want,
No you can't always get what you want,
you can try sometimes, and might find
that you get what you need.
and finally,
c) You get what you pay for. You wanted to redeem a free ticket from A to B, now you're getting it. A free ticket from A to B.