Please feel free to relocate this thread if necessary.

My wife travels annually RDU-OTP and back. I have booked her ticket for 2013 already so these questions are for future reference. I have enough miles on all three alliances to pick. Her trip is always in August, she has a few days flexibility in either direction, and we are interested in award tickets, premium cabin seats. I am aware of the fuel scamcharges on BA through LHR. I have KVS and have pretty much figured out how to use it to search for award space.

So my questions:

1) There is an OTP-LHR daily nonstop, but in the searches I have done, I have never seen J availability. Is this ever available?
2) How does J compare as between AA, BA, and other carriers, and the same question for F. Our entire experience with this includes me flying DL J on 764 and both of us flying AF J on 772. Is there some kind of BA or OW first class lounge in LHR? Although she probably wouldn't even use it because (a) she'd much rather have shorter connections and (b) usually when she hits the continent, she just wants to take a quick nap and get on another plane rather than have a shower and breakfast.
3) Although nominally award space is supposed to be available about 331 days out, I did not see any award seats between LHR and OTP more than about 285 days. Is this the norm, or are seats usually available on this route at the 331 day mark?