pdxyz1

150K MR
200K UR
350K AA

2 of us want to travel from anywhere on the US West Coast (we'd consider elsewhere, e.g., Dallas) to Sydney October/November/December 2015. We hope to embed the Thanksgiving holiday (Nov. 26-29) somewhere in there. We want to fly Cathay Pacific lie flats. (Business class, right? They don't seem to have 1st on those routes. Or is there something else more luxe?)

I'm starting to haunt the JAL site to find CX award availability (is there a better way?), and would love to know any hints and tricks from more experienced flyers. Should I subscribe to Expert Flyer? Just give up and hire a booking service? Figure out a new route?

Feel free (I know you will) to administer wrist slaps, move or close the post, etc., if this is in the wrong place.

Thanks in advance.