I hope this isn't something I should have found quickly via search (I searched but didn't find the answer)...

I'm looking to book award tickets in business class (or first) to the UK from SAN. Almost everything that shows up in British Air has the huge fuel surcharge (<$500/ticket), but occasionally there is a AA flight for a very low additional cash price ($19/24). DL also has options but for double the miles (125k vs 60k), so I'm not very interested in that. I might consider first class for one way and biz for the other; it seems the cash requirement is much less in one direction. The BA fuel surcharge is insane and makes me almost want to fly to Amsterdam or Ireland to avoid it (I need 2 tix, so maybe >2k fuel surcharge!!!).

My home airport is SAN, so I realize that this is somewhat of a limitation, but still, what shows up online is very limited. I'm looking for flights next fall (Sept-Oct 2017, even Nov if necessary), so I can take advantage of flights as soon as they open up, and I will pick days based on availability.

I'm looking to spend 120-140k miles roundtrip per ticket and limit the cash requirement. I know there are experts here, so I am hoping you guys can help me make the most of my miles! If I call, will better rewards show up, or is what is online all there is?

Thanks in advance for helping an UK awards redemption newbie.