susiesan-

I believe that you can book the best available itinerary now to at least confirm something, and then later if availability opens up for award seats on flights you prefer you can change it. This is probably what I would do- after all at the end of the day with either itinerary you are scheduled to return on the same final flight so there isn`t much to lose.

I would confirm that changes can be made with AA reservations if you are concerned about this.

I am sure that other people on FT who are much more knowledgeable than I am about award reservations can answer your question.

For now, if I were you I would get booked on the best available itinerary and then hope for availability to open up on better flights. It is always better to have something confirmed- especially when talking about two business class award tickets on a transpacific itinerary.

Take care

-Mike