I am a 1K in SFO. I don't need any more miles to make 1K, but of course, I can always use the miles for free tickets. My 3 options SFO to SYD I am considering are:

1) SFO-SYD UA. 787 2-2-2 seating (old business class, not true Polaris seating)
2) SFO-LAX-SYD. Virgin Australia 777 1-2-1 seating with the new Virgin Australia awesome seats
3) SFO-YVR-SYD. Air Canada 777 1-2-1 seating with the new Air Canada awesome seats

Not gonna fly Qantas because it's basically UA's configuration at 2-2-2 and I don't get any miles.

I don't want to fly Singapore Air or Cathay Pacific because the times are totally bad for me. ANA requires change of airport. Asiana is too long of a layover.

What do people think of these options?
1) The UA's pros are that it's direct and faster, but the cons are that it's the crappy 2-2-2 old CO legacy seating arrangement. I get UA EQM and dollars, but I don't need any more to get 1K. I'll easily clear 100,000 miles this year.

2) I heard that Virgin Australia with the new awesome seats are the best. 1-2-1 configuration with total aisle access, privacy, and great food. I heard that this is the best way to fly to Australia. However, I need to fly to LAX and deal with the heinous connection procedures at LAX (leave the terminal, exit security, take a bus, etc). Also, no UA miles, so basically fly without any miles, just the experience.

3) Air Canada's new YVR-SYD's 777 1-2-1 configuration seats are identical to the Virgin Australia seats. However, I heard the food and the service are not as good as Virgin Australia. However, I connect through YVR, which I heard is not as painful as connecting through LAX. Also, I get UA miles.


I would appreciate any thoughts from people! Thanks.