TG C class can be cheap!
To be honest, the CHEAPEST C class ticket I ever bought was on TG.....
I used to live in Beijing (till 3 years ago), and Y seats PEK-SYD were always about US$700, depending on airline. But TG sold C class for just US$1200 return--with stopovers in BKK allowed both ways. An absolute steal, since the sectors were long--4.5 hours PEK-BKK, then 9 hours BKK-SYD. similar to BKK-LAX, but try getting that price for the LAX route!
Excellent service, though the IFE wasn't in-seat--but the food and personnel were great. I even got to drink my Oleang inflight!