Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Advice on non-economy fares, LAX-SYD

Hey folks, having done the Qantas run twice in Q, I'm ready not to have my knees up under my chin for 14 hours. ;)

Any suggestions on airlines offering a less than spartan experience for fewer than a zillion dollars?

Looks like QF's Premium Economy costs around US$6K for two people, same as business class on DL. I do have an Amex PLAT but no status on DL (since I fly on points a lot and those flights don't count toward status) so I'm not terribly familiar with upgrade procedures - but I understand upgrades are only granted if there's avail.

Wouldn't mind scoring points on SkyTeam but I'm not absolutely averse to V Australia, Air NZ, etc.

What, in your opinions, are the best deals for the money? I'm looking around April or May of next year. Thanks for any thoughts.

Buy any economy R/T ticket on United, then upgrade for cash to business class. It's usually $US 670 from the US and around $AU 1000 from Australia.

This UA thread has more info:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileage-plus/530404-paid-upgrades-gate-olci-compile-here.html

Oh, and the new C seats on UA are lie flat and excellent ^

And if you don't want to take the chance, there are some good fares out there with Air China or JAL which can be less than A$5000 in business return per person.

Maybe Amex also has some good deals?

Been back and forth a couple of times to SYD and Economy+ was worth the $150 each way for 5". Reminds me of US Air FC without the free booze :)