Are upgrades really that hard to come by? Reading other fora, it would seem not.
I would be looking at purchasing a PE seat and looking for an upgrade to J....not buy a low cost Y which, asd you say, are usually not eligible.
You seem to imply getting a free flight (award) at PE or J is easier. This strikes me as odd. Surely ALs are more likely to upgrade than give away?
I understand that upgrades are only on the FF airline and metal. It's why I want to chose my FFP carefully. For an AL that I would want to use for a variety of pre-planned trips...or at least have partner ALs that fly where I want to go.
Could you elucidate as to why you think QANTAS and Air NZ are a poor choice? especially as you managed to get a free J QANTAS seat when you are low status there. That strikes me as a recommendation!
Finally, what other Asian AL FFP would you recommend if not Singapore?...and why?