Like Zomba said, the only way to upgrade a T fare would be an OP-UP and flying as a Gold, makes it pretty unlikely to happen. With the short time frame, I'm doubtful that you'll be able to get a flight that meets your criteria without paying quite a bit more than the $1600 you're seeing.

The economy comfort product is a pretty good value for the money (I've flown it a couple of times to HKG now) if your heart (or wallet) is not set on BE.