i just ticketed another RTW yesterday, agent told me price increase today across the board. i was also told the date of ticketing is important.

good luck! (but i think the difference is only about 5%, but 5% is not a small amount for these tickets) -- since ex-seoul is >$3000, i suppose it is already an increased price compared a half year ago (?)

my preference is always CX>BA>AA in F/A, BA>CX>AA in J/D
(of course i would like to avoid AA domestic but i got no choice)
never tried IB, didn't hear good things about them though.
i suspect AA international is probably better than IB(?)